Butterflied Pork Chop Dinner

Martin Luther King Day and inauguration week and the news this week has had a quality of held breath. I am writing this on Sunday and the city has been quiet in an unusual way. I had three shifts this week and each day the hospital was working at the same pace, the same careful management of COVID census, the staff vaccinated now or in process, the exhaustion real but tempered by the knowledge that something has changed.

Nora pulled up to standing using the coffee table this week and immediately walked along it, hand over hand, to get to the remote control she had identified as desirable. She did not hesitate. She identified the target, identified the path, and executed. Liam watched her from the couch with an expression of frank respect. "She did it," he said. I said yes. He nodded slowly like he was adding this to his assessment of his sister.

I made my mother's Irish stew on Saturday -- the real kind, lamb shoulder, turnip, pearl onions -- and we ate it at the kitchen table while the news was on mute. It felt like the right meal for this particular weekend: substantial, old, the smell of my childhood kitchen, the taste of something that has been made in my family long enough to have its own accumulated weight.

Sean asked me this week if I want to start looking at houses in a couple of years when Nora is old enough for pre-K. I said yes. We have been saying Quincy for two years and the saying of it is starting to feel more specific. There are neighborhoods. There are schools. It's moving from dream to possibility.

That Saturday with the Irish stew reminded me what I reach for when a week has been heavy in the particular way this one was — something with real substance, something that takes a little tending. When that mood carries into the week and I need it again but on a weeknight, this butterflied pork chop dinner is where I land. It has that same quality: a proper piece of meat, a pan sauce that comes together from the fond left behind, the whole thing feeling considered without being fussy. It’s the kind of dinner that says the table matters, even when the news is still on somewhere in the background.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork chops (about 1 inch thick), butterflied
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Season the chops. Pat butterflied pork chops dry with paper towels. Combine garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and rub the mixture evenly over both sides of each chop.
Sear. Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet (cast iron works well) over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chops and sear without moving them for 3 to 4 minutes per side until a deep golden crust forms. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
Build the pan sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add minced garlic to the skillet and cook 30 seconds, stirring. Pour in chicken broth, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the Dijon mustard and simmer 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce reduces by about a third.
Finish and glaze. Return the pork chops to the skillet, spooning sauce over the top. Cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat and swirl in the butter until the sauce is glossy.
Rest and serve. Let the chops rest in the pan for 3 minutes before plating. Spoon sauce generously over each chop and finish with fresh parsley. Serve alongside mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, or crusty bread to catch the sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Butterflied Pork Chop Dinner — The Meal That Holds You Together