This is one of my favorite dishes to make during the cooler months when I don't mind having my oven on for a while. This recipe makes a lot of food that is extremely tasty. I will warn you, that I have written on my recipe that the preparation time for this dish is 1 1/2 hours and the cooking time is 2 hours, so it takes some time to put this on the table, but it is oh so worth it!
I tore this recipe out of a magazine years ago, but there is nothing on the page to indicate which magazine it came from. Because this makes so much, I like to put some in one baking dish for my family and the rest in a disposable pan to share with another family in need. It also freezes well. My guys give this dish 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.
In a large skillet I fry the bacon, which I've cut into about 1/2-inch pieces, over high heat.
I add the chopped onion to the bacon drippings, and cook until they are tender and translucent.
Using a slotted spoon, I remove the onions to the bacon to drain.
While the onions are cooking, I begin cutting the pork into 3/4-inch cubes. Handling about 1/3 of the pork at a time, I dredge the cubes of pork in flour.
I then add them to the bacon drippings, adding oil if needed, and cook over medium heat until browned.
After fully cooked, I remove each batch to a large bowl.
To the pork, I add the bacon and onions, tossing to combine.
About this time, I preheat the oven to 325°F. I then stir in each apple as I peel, core, and chopped them.
In a small bowl, I combine the rubbed sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Rubbed sage is different from any other dried spice I've ever used. The best word I can use to describe it is fluffy, so it's a bit hard to mix with the rest of the spices.
I make sure I mix them well to ensure they are evenly distributed in the dish.
I then add the spices to the pork and apple mixture, stirring gently to combine.
The apple cider and water get added and stirred into the mixture.
This mixture then gets put into the baking dishes.
I cover the dishes with foil, whether freezing for a later use or baking immediately. I place it in the oven and bake at 325°F for 2 hours.
About 1/2 hour before the baking time is done, I peel, cube and boil the potatoes and mash them with a bit of butter and salt. When the dish comes out of the oven, I spread the hot mashed potatoes over the top of the dish and it's ready to serve! The recipe says that 3 tablespoons of melted butter can be brushed over the top of the potatoes and then placed under the broiler for 5 minutes to brown the top, but in our house, the aroma is so enticing that my family never waits long enough for that step to begin eating!
I guess it would look prettier if it was browned nicely on top, because this way it just looks like a very full dish of mashed potatoes!
I usually serve this dish with a green salad and rolls. To me, this is comfort food at it's best! Enjoy!
Farmhouse
Pork and Apple Pie
1 pound
sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 medium
onions, chopped
3 pounds
boneless pork, cubed
¾ cup
all-purpose flour
Vegetable
oil, optional
3 medium tart
apples, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon
rubbed sage
½ teaspoon ground
nutmeg
1 teaspoon
salt
¼ teaspoon
pepper
1 cup apple
cider
½ cup water
4 medium
potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ cup milk
5 tablespoons
butter, divided
Additional
salt and pepper
Cook bacon in
a large skillet until crisp. Remove with
a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
In drippings, sauté onions until tender; remove with a slotted spoon and
set aside. Dust pork lightly with
flour. Brown a third at a time in
drippings, adding oil if needed. Remove
with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl.
To pork, add bacon, onions, apples, sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in cider and water. Place mixture in an oven-proof baking dish and
bake at 325°F for 2 hours or until pork is tender. In a large saucepan, cook potatoes in boiling
water until tender. Drain and mash with
milk and butter. Add salt and pepper to
taste. Remove baking dish from oven and
spread potatoes over pork mixture.
Optional: Melt 2 tablespoons of
butter and brush over potatoes. Broil 6
inches from the heat for 5 minutes or until topping is browned.
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