Pork Chop Potato Dinner

Halloween week. The house is carved-pumpkined and cobwebbed and Josie has planned her costume with the seriousness of a woman running for governor (she is going as Amelia Earhart; Amber helped sew the jacket; I am amazed). Tyler is too old to go trick-or-treating and too young to be bored about it — he will walk Josie and her friends around the block and pretend it is a chore. Justin is going to a high school Halloween party at a teammate's house. Amber is handing out candy at the front door and reading a library book between doorbell rings. I will be out on Saturday — an Omaha run — and home in time to see Josie off. Halloween in Grand Island is a small gentle thing. The streets are quiet by 8. The kids go door to door without adults hovering. The world has not changed so much that this specific ritual has broken. I am grateful.

Cookbook at seventy-three thousand. Ninety-five percent drafted. I have two short chapters left — the ending, which I am afraid of, and a chapter on holiday cooking, which I am saving for last because I need Thanksgiving to write it. Sarah is reading the middle sections now and sending back notes. Most of her notes say "yes" and "more" and "stay here longer." She has not pushed back on anything structurally since September. The book is the book. I have written it. I have to accept that.

Drove a Des Moines run Wednesday. Came home with a box of donuts from a place on University Avenue that makes them fresh at 6 a.m. and I timed the pickup perfectly. The kids demolished the box. Justin ate the last cinnamon twist at 11 p.m. while standing in the open refrigerator door, which is a move he must have inherited from Larry because neither Dave nor I do it. Some behaviors are genetic. Some are learned. Some are both.

Gayle is doing better on the new medications. Her blood pressure is down. Her potassium is up. The "integrative" doctor she was mad about has grown on her. Last week Gayle said, "She is a smart young woman." This is, in Gayle's vocabulary, a laurel wreath and a bouquet of roses. I did not tease her. I did not say "I told you so." I just said, "I'm glad, Ma."

Sunday I made chicken pot pie — a whole chicken roasted Friday, the meat pulled and saved, the bones boiled down for stock, the pie assembled Sunday morning with carrots and peas and potatoes and a top crust I cut leaves into because I was feeling ambitious. It came out of the oven golden and breathing through its vents. We ate it on the good plates. Josie said, "This is the best thing you've ever made." She says that about one in five meals. It is always true in the moment.

That Sunday pot pie came together because I had the time and the ambition, and those two things don’t always line up. But on the weeks when they don’t — when Saturday was an Omaha run and Sunday is already half gone — this pork chop and potato dinner is the thing I reach for instead. It has the same spirit as the pot pie: one dish, real ingredients, the kind of meal that earns the good plates. Josie will say it’s the best thing I’ve ever made. She’ll be right in the moment, and that’s enough.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or large oven-safe skillet.
Season the pork chops. In a small bowl, combine smoked paprika, garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pat pork chops dry and rub both sides evenly with the spice mixture.
Sear the chops. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear pork chops 2—3 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to a plate; they will finish cooking in the oven.
Cook the onion and garlic. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Layer the potatoes. Arrange sliced potatoes in an even layer in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the onion and garlic mixture over the top. Pour chicken broth over everything and scatter butter pieces across the potatoes.
Add the pork chops. Nestle the seared pork chops on top of the potato layer. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
Bake covered. Bake for 30 minutes, until potatoes are nearly tender and pork is cooked through (internal temperature of 145°F).
Finish uncovered. Remove foil and bake an additional 10—15 minutes until the top is lightly golden and liquid has reduced. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve directly from the dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pork Chop Potato Dinner — The Sunday Comfort Meal That Earns the Good Plates