One Skillet Pork Chop Supper

A year in the house this month. We closed March 28, 2022. We moved in February 2022 because of the delay and then the delay. A year in the house. Many things have happened in it. The family photo in the living room from the sitting two weeks ago is on the mantel now, in a silver frame.

I am finishing the spring semester in two weeks. I have two exams left and one paper. The paper is on clinical decision-making in chronic disease management. I have an outline. I will write it next week. I am on track to finish the spring semester with a B+ average. I need the B+. I need to not be on probation. I need to be in good standing. I will be.

I did a practice run of the Easter ham this week — not the full one, a half, just to make sure I could manage it next to the lamb. It was fine. I did the glaze the way my mother does — brown sugar, mustard, a little bourbon, a pinch of clove. Scored the surface. Basted it three times. Nora said "ham" at dinner. Liam ate a full serving. Sean ate four slices. I ate the rest of what was not eaten for two days of leftovers. Easter will be fine.

Sean is in an off-week. He is strong. He came to the grocery store with me on Saturday. He walked the store slowly, the two of us, and he picked out his own grapes, and he read the label of a new brand of hot sauce and considered it seriously, and he did not buy it. He bought the grapes and a bag of pretzels. It was his first grocery trip since October. He was tired after. He slept for three hours after. But he went. He grocery-shopped. I note this because every small thing is still a thing. Every small thing I am counting now.

Linda came Friday for tea. She brought a plate of scones. She stayed an hour. She told me about the Powell daughter, who had been her best friend in her forties — the Powell mother had died of colon cancer in the 2000s — and how the daughter had navigated the year of her mother's illness while raising small kids. Linda said "you remind me of her. Only you are better." I said "Linda." She said "I mean it. I watch you. You are holding this together. I want you to know I see it." I did not cry. I said "thank you." I made her another cup of tea. She left at 4. I love Linda. I do not know what I would have done without her this year. I do not know how you earn a neighbor like this. I think you just live long enough in a place. We have been here fifteen months. Linda has been here forty-one years. She extends herself to us out of a kind of grace I cannot describe.

Next week is Kate at thirty-two, second week. Then Easter. Then the first anniversary of the diagnosis is coming — August. I am counting. I am counting in seasons and months and chemo cycles and pancakes. I am counting.

The practice ham went fine — better than fine — and somewhere in the middle of basting it for the third time I remembered that the whole point of a practice run is to remind yourself you already know how to do the thing. This one skillet pork chop supper was the meal I made the night after, when I needed something easy and grounding and already-proven, and it delivered exactly that: one pan, real food, everyone fed. Liam ate without negotiating. That counts.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup green beans, trimmed
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

Instructions

Season the chops. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Combine garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, then rub the mixture evenly over both sides of each chop.
Sear the pork. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and sear for 3–4 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Sauté the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the same skillet. Add sliced onion and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add the vegetables. Add diced potatoes and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Cover and cook for 8 minutes.
Return the pork. Nestle the seared pork chops back into the skillet among the potatoes. Add green beans and thyme. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes, until pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F and potatoes are fork-tender.
Rest and serve. Remove from heat and let rest 3 minutes before serving directly from the skillet.

Nutrition (per serving)

One Skillet Pork Chop Supper — The Practice Run That Reminded Me I Can Do This