Apple Smothered Pork Chops

Every once in a while (usually when I haven't had a serving of Chipotle carnitas in a while), I feel like whipping up pork chops for dinner.  This recipe comes from a meat cookbook that's provided a couple strong recipes already.  I skipped straight to their version that subs in some apple and cider:

Recipe

4 bone-in pork chops
4 oz bacon (4 slices), chopped
2 tbsp flour
1 3/4 c apple cider
1 onion, halved & sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
2 bay leaves
oil, salt & pepper

1. Sauce: Fry up the bacon, then remove but leave as much of the grease as you can.  Reduce heat to medium low and whisk in the flour.  Cook, whisking frequently, until it's a rich brown (about 5 minutes).  Then whisk in the cider, increase heat, bring to a boil, then cover and remove from heat.
2. Chops: Heat a tbsp of oil in a skillet over high heat until smoking.  Sprinkle the pork chops with pepper, then put them in the skillet to brown (about 3 minutes per side).  Set aside.
3. Stew: In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium, add a tbsp oil and the onion, apple, 2 tbsp water and a sprinkle of salt.  Caramelize the onions (about 5 minutes), then stir in the garlic and thyme.  Then put the chops back in, cover with onion mixture, pour in the sauce, and add the bay leaves.  Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, or until you can stab the pork with a knife easily...
4. Gravy: Remove the pork chops to a serving plate.  Increase heat to medium high and simmer the sauce until it thickens into a gravy (about 5 minutes).
5. Serve: Serve the pork chops over a starch, pour over the gravy, and sprinkle with the bacon.

Notes

This one's a bit more labor-intensive than I'm usually looking for.  I definitely like the combined browning and stewing pork chop approach.  I may not have browned them quote enough (I felt like the times above were underestimations), but you do get some good flavor and keep it tender while not overcooking in the pan.

In the end,  I think this came out very well, with a better balance of sweet and savory than some other apple/cider-based recipes I've tried recently.  Sprinkling bacon on top is almost cheating, although I guess the grease plays a key role earlier on.  The recipe recommends egg noodles for a starch.  Here's the (somewhat crowded) final plate I ended up with: chops and gravy over spinach & goat cheese mashed potatoes.  No recipe for that side; just added the extras to the flakes...