Pork Chops with Parmesan Sauce -- Cast Iron Redeemed, and a Sunday Supper Worth the Care

Last week of January. The year is already establishing its rhythm and I am trying to meet it with intention rather than just getting carried along by the current. I made a resolution this year not to use the word resolution, so I am calling it instead a direction: I want to cook from more traditions, take better care of my kitchen equipment, and read one cookbook start to finish every two months.

The kitchen equipment care was inspired by the fact that I found my good cast iron pan going rusty at the edge because I had dried it inadequately and put it away wrong. I was deeply ashamed of myself in the way that cooks feel shame about equipment failure, which is disproportionate but real. I re-seasoned it over the course of a weekend: scrubbed out the rust, dried it thoroughly, rubbed it with oil, baked it upside down in the oven at 450 for an hour. It came out black and glossy and I treated it very carefully for the following week, drying it over the flame after washing, rubbing it with a thin layer of oil before storage. It is back to itself. Lesson learned.

At Gloria's on Sunday I talked through the equipment situation and she said her mother ruined a cast iron once in the same way and never forgave herself. I said at least I caught mine early. She said yes, but you will never make that mistake again. That is the purpose of mistakes. I said yes ma'am. She said some things you only have to learn once if you learn them hard enough. I think she was talking about more than the pan. She often is.

After spending that weekend earning my cast iron back—scrubbing rust, baking in oil, drying it over the flame like it deserved—I wanted the first real meal out of it to mean something. Pork chops felt right: old-fashioned, unassuming, exactly the kind of thing a well-seasoned skillet was made for. The Parmesan cream sauce tips it into something a little celebratory, which seemed appropriate. Gloria would approve, I think, and her mother might too.

Pork Chops with Parmesan Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Season the chops. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Season both sides evenly with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
2. Sear in the skillet. Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pork chops and sear without moving for 4—5 minutes per side, until a deep golden crust forms and the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
3. Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the same skillet. Once melted, add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant. Pour in the heavy cream, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Finish with Parmesan. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, and dried thyme. Simmer over medium-low heat for 3—4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Return and coat. Nestle the seared pork chops back into the skillet. Spoon sauce over the top and let them warm through for 2 minutes.
6. Serve. Plate chops with generous spoonfuls of sauce and a scatter of fresh parsley. Good alongside mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or crusty bread to catch the extra sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 38g | Carbs: 3g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 480mg