Pork Chop Dinner -- The Night We Found Our House

September. Fall. The season that Milwaukee was made for. The leaves are turning, the beer is darkening, the Packers are back. Tom and I watched the opener at the Cape Cod. Megan was there, grading papers, yelling at the TV during third down. She has become a football fan by osmosis and she is louder than either of us and Tom loves it. "Your wife has opinions," Tom said. I said, "She always has opinions." He said, "Good."

We found a house. Or rather, Megan found a house on Zillow at 11 PM on a Wednesday and woke me up and said, "Jake. Look at this." It was a four-bedroom Craftsman bungalow on a tree-lined street in Bay View. Eight blocks from the Cape Cod. Sagging porch, outdated kitchen, a basement that "needs attention" (realtor-speak for "bring a pump"). But the price was right and it had a yard and a garage and a kitchen with enough counter space for actual cooking and a window over the sink.

We went to see it on Saturday. It needed work. A lot of work. The porch sagged. The kitchen was stuck in 1992. The bathroom had carpet (carpet in a bathroom is a crime). But the bones were good — the walls were solid, the roof was sound, the yard was big enough for a smoker AND a playset. I called Tom from the driveway. I said, "Dad, come look at a house." He came in thirty minutes. He walked through every room. He tested the outlets. He checked the fuse box. He said, "It needs work." I said, "I know." He said, "I can help with the wiring." The same words from a year ago. I can help with the wiring. The future is here.

Made a celebratory dinner at home — steak, roasted potatoes, asparagus. Not because we bought the house. We haven't bought it yet. But because we found it. Because it exists. Because somewhere in Bay View there's a Craftsman bungalow with a kitchen window and a yard, waiting for us.

I said steak in the story, and I meant steak — but when it came down to it, what I actually threw together that Saturday night was a proper pork chop dinner, the kind of meal that feels earned. Tom had just walked every room of that house, tested every outlet, and said the same four words that meant everything, and when he left I wanted something solid and real on the table to match the feeling. Pork chops, potatoes, the whole deal. A house-finding dinner doesn’t have to be fancy — it just has to mean something.

Pork Chop Dinner

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
• 1 lb baby potatoes, halved
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.
2. Season the potatoes. Toss halved baby potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Spread onto one half of the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.
3. Season the pork chops. While potatoes roast, pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Rub both sides with onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
4. Sear the chops. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and sear 2–3 minutes per side until a golden crust forms. Add butter and garlic to the pan, basting the chops as the butter melts.
5. Finish in oven. Transfer skillet to the oven alongside the potatoes. Roast 12–15 minutes until pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145°F.
6. Add the asparagus. In the last 8 minutes of cooking, push potatoes to the side of the baking sheet and add asparagus tossed lightly in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until tender and slightly charred at the tips.
7. Rest and serve. Remove pork chops from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Plate with roasted potatoes and asparagus, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 420mg