Here in Southern California we often suffer with the cold more indoors than out due to lack of insulation and heating methods that, well, don't. So a one-dish meal that starts on thestove top and then migrates to the oven pays both heating and eating dividends. This particular dish combines two favorites, pork and scalloped potatoes, with the pork fat standing in for butter and milk plus white wine for cream. Definitely from the what's-not to-like comfort food playbook.
The usual American style rather lean pork works best as the drippings from the meat will mix with the potatoes underneath and there is no real strategy for degreasing once the ingredients are combined. Thick or thin chops work fine, just plan on cooking longer in the final oven stage if the chops are thick. Another bonus is that the dish can be made ahead up to that point, and cooking time is forgiving as the chops are basically braising rather than roasting. So you shouldn't end up with the pork radial tire that we all remember so well from camp and college dining halls.
I happened to have some dried tomato so I tossed in a few of those, diced, to add some flavor and color to the dish. You could as easily use fresh or dried mushrooms and leeks could replace the onions. I have made a version of this with port replacing white wine and the mushrooms would go handily with that. Similarly with the seasoning rub, I used a NOMA brand seasoning blend theoretically made for lamb but at our house we like rosemary on pretty much anything. You could easily substitute thyme or sage and the amount is to your taste rather than critical.
The amounts of the ingredients listed below are pretty arbitrary. Basically you want enough sliced onion and potatoes to fill your dish, leaving room for the chops to sit on top. And you want enough liquid just to peek through the vegetables and keep everything moist.
Ingredients:
Pork chops, one per person, trimmed of fat
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large potato, peeled and sliced very thin.
4-5 dried tomato or sun dried tomatoes
1/2 c milk, fat free
1/4 c dry white wine
1-2 TB seasoning mix of rosemary, cumin, garlic and black pepper, combined to make a rub OR any favorite seasoning
1 T grape seed or other oil for browning meat
Equipment:
You will need a shallow casserole pan which can go from stove top to oven
Technique:
Preheat oven to 375
Mix spices to make a rub and apply to all sides and edges of chops
Heat oil in casserole until hot, brown chops quickly on each side to a nice brown color
Remove pan from heat, remove chops temporarily to a plate
Pour off any accumulated fat in the pan and discard, being careful to retain any tasty dripping and browned bits
Pour the wine and the milk into the pan and stir to incorporate the juices and drippings
Mix onions, potatoes and tomato bits together, add to the pan and distribute in an even layer. The level of the liquid should be roughly to the top of the vegetables. If not, add more.
Place the browned chops on top of the vegetables, cover with a fitted top or with aluminum foil
Place in middle of oven, lower heat to 350 degrees
Bake for 20-30 minutes approximately, checking the level of the liquid a few times. Timing will vary based on the thickness of the chops.
When the chops are cooked through and the potatoes are tender, remove the top from the pan and bake for another 5 minutes or so to reduce and thicken the liquid.
Serve 1 chop per person with a side of the potatoes and enjoy!
