Smothered Pork Chops with Mustard and Thyme Butter

Normally, at this time of year, I'm perking up and looking for the first asparagus at the market and poking around the edge of the grey cottage's foundation for the first crocus spears, hoping for their happy golden and purple splashes of color against the brown of earth and crust of melting snowy patches. Ahem ... someone please give a whisper in Mother Nature's ear! It's snowing ... again. The joke is old, Mother dear.

Instead of flinging open windows to bring in a Spring-ish breeze, I'm poking more logs on the fire and contemplating what bit of warm Winter-ish comfort food I can concoct for dinner that will use the oven. Diana Henry's Mustard and Thyme Pork Chop Bake sounds good ... and the smells are fantastic.

This is a simple dish to make ... one jockeys things a bit so that the same pan can be used to sear the pork chops and load in the vegetable and apple chop. When it goes in the oven to roast to up, the mustard and herb scents are intensified by the white wine used to deglaze the pan after the chops are seared. It's heavenly to walk in from outside and take a big whiff of dinner!

A good rich seedy mustard, butter and plenty of thyme leaves get smashed together to make an aromatic paste.

The pork is seared in a very hot pan with a bit of butter and olive oil- my pan is a seriously beautiful Copco porcelain clad cast iron number. I love this pan, as it goes from stove top to oven to table and keeps the food hot for a good while at the table.

Deglaze the pan and then lay down a bed of sliced purple onion, Yukon Gold potatoes, and apple wedges. Season with salt and pepper. Lay in more sprigs of thyme, place the seared chops atop, add a bit more onion slices and apple wedges, drizzle on the white wine sauce from the deglazing process. Dot with half the mustard butter and thyme slather and roast in the oven for about half an hour ... just until the potatoes are knife tender and the onions have collapsed into sweetness. Serve the pan at the table and pass around the extra mustard thyme butter to use with bites of pork chop. Mmm-mm-mm!

There was nothing left in this pan, after SB and attacked it ... it may have roasted down to what we call 'ugly food', but oh my goodness, was it ever wonderful!  And after all, we may well eat with our eyes, but our noses certainly tell us when something is fantastic, too! And OUR noses gloried in the roasting of this pork supper! This is a dish that one can simply put together ... alter the amounts of vegetables and apples and the numbers of chops to fit the numbers of folks gathering at your table ... it's that easy!

shared with the members of the I Heart Cooking Club at this week's Heaven Scent recipe share