Smothered Pork Chops with Roasted Vegetables

I am trying to switch my taste buds over from summer produce to fall produce. It is no easy task, but I do love roasted veggies. My love affair began one Thanksgiving when my step mom made them with our diner. What she did to those vegetables was magical so I like to copycat her idea and add in different items. My husband loves these pork chops, but he is not a big fan of the veg, but I think they compliment one another really well. Many people either think they hate Brussels sprouts, or think they have to cook them for an hour or more. When cooked right (and they don't take long), they can be so tasty and add a different level of flavor to a roasted veg dish. 

There are a few different ways of doing these veggies. You could leave the tater raw, peel the skin off of it, dice it, and put it along with the other chopped veggies into a baking pan and drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper, and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. The potato generally takes longer than the other veggies, so I like to start with cooking the tater first. You could bake the tater, roast the other veggies, slice the tater in half, and top it with the cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and red onion. The canvas is yours. Paint it any way you like. 

This is what I did...place baking potato on a baking pan (puncture it with a fork to make several holes around it, put a light coat of EVOO on the skin and sprinkle Kosher salt on it). Slice up 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut 2 handfulls of Brussels sprouts in half, thinly slice 1/2 red onion. Coat vegetables with a light coating of EVOO and salt/pepper. Bake at 400 degrees. The cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and red onion will be ready to come out after 20 minutes, the potato will need to cook for an hour or until tender when lightly squeezed. When the tater is done, peel off the skin and cut it in bite sized pieces. 

Add all veggies into a medium sized bowl and stir. I topped mine with balsamic vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese. 

Moving to the chops - Drizzle a few rounds of EVOO to the bottom of a large skillet and put it on medium high heat. Season chops with salt, pepper, and season all. Dredge chops in flour, tap off the excess, and add to the skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes per side (you are not cooking the pork chops completely at this time). Set aside on a plate. 

Lower heat just a tad, add butter, onion, and thyme to same skillet, add a small pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden brown (about 8 minutes).

Add 2 tbsp if the reserved flour to the skillet and stir into the onion mixture for 1 minute. 

Add the chicken broth, bring liquid to a boil, and let reduce by 1/3 (about 2 minutes).

Add buttermilk to the skillet and return the chops. 

Bring sauce to a simmer, turn heat to medium and cook until sauce thickens and the chops are cooked through (about 10-12 minutes). 

Let's eat!

Smothered Pork Chops

4 bone-in chops

Kosher salt

1/2 tsp Season All

3/4 cup flour

2 tbsp EVOO

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 onion

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2/3 cup buttermilk

Drizzle EVOO in a skillet and turn on medium high heat. Sprinkle pork chops with salt, season all seasoning, and pepper on both sides. In a shallow bowl, add the flour and coat both sides of the pork chops in the flour tapping off the excess. Reserve the remaining flour. Add chops to skillet and cook 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate when finished (you are not cooking them all the way through at this point). 

Add butter, onion, thyme, and a pinch of salt to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden brown (about 8 minutes).  Add 2 tbsp of the reserved flour to the skillet and stir into the onion mixture for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, bring liquid to a boil, and let reduce by 1/3 (about 2 minutes).

Add buttermilk to the skillet and return the chops. Bring sauce to a simmer, turn heat to medium and cook until sauce thickens and the chops are cooked through (about 10-12 minutes). 

Roasted Vegetables

1 baked potato

1 1/2 cups chopped cauliflower

1 cup sliced Brussels sprouts

1/2 red onion

EVOO

Kosher salt

Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees, poke several holes in potato with a fork, drizzle potato with EVOO and rub with Kosher salt, place on a baking pan, bake potato for 1 hour or until tender.

Cut up cauliflower, slice Brussels sprouts in half, slice red onion in long thin layers. Drizzle EVOO over, lighly salt and pepper, mix together to coat all pieces, and bake on baking sheet at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Cut up potato into bite sized pieces and add all ingredients to a medium sized bowl. Stir. Top with balsamic vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese if desired. 

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