Pan-fried pork chops get a savory-spicy partner in a chipotle-tomato sauce drawn from a Mexican culinary tradition. Four chipotle chilies go into the sauce for substantial, but not incendiary, heat. If you like, add more adobo sauce after simmering to increase the spiciness. To keep things tender and succulent, we browned only one side of ½-inch-thick bone-in pork chops. Simmering the chops in the sauce finished them without overcooking the meat. Slightly thicker chops also work: If using ¾- to 1-inch chops, brown on both sides (about 6 minutes total) before removing them from the pan. Partially cover the skillet during simmering and increase the simmering time to 7 to 9 minutes. Serve with warmed tortillas or roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes.
Don’t forget to nick the silver skin on the pork chops. This prevents them from warping during browning. Also, be sure to let the skillet cool a bit before pouring in the tomato puree. Otherwise the puree will splatter.
In a blender, puree the tomatoes, onion, garlic, chilies, cumin and 1 teaspoon salt until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a paring knife, make a couple of vertical cuts in the silver skin that encircles each chop; evenly space the cuts and try to cut through the silver skin without cutting into the meat. Season the chops on both sides with salt and pepper.