Pan-Fried Pork Chops w/Cranberry-Thyme Sauce

Are you still eating Thanksgiving leftovers? We have just about polished them all off with the exception of the cranberry sauce. Then I remembered an extra yummy dish I used to make using pork loin and canned cranberry sauce. 

I used my leftover sugar-free cranberry sauce and some gorgeous pork chops that were lurking in the freezer to make a yummy meal that tasted very far from leftovers. In fact, I thought it both delicious and very festive. I have enough cranberries to do this one again sometime soon.

Pan-Fried Pork Chops w/Cranberry-Thyme Sauce

1-1/2 cups prepared sugar-free cranberry sauce

Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Crushed thyme
2 Tbsp olive oil
Four 5-ounce bone-in pork loin chops
1/2 of a shallot, finely chopped

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Season the pork chops with salt, pepper and thyme, add them to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a plate, cover and set aside. Add chopped shallot to skillet and cook scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until translucent - about 4-5 minutes. Add cranberry sauce and 1/2 tsp thyme and heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add back pork chops and any juices to the skillet and turn to low and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Serve chops with the cranberry-mixture spooned over. Makes 4 servings.