Pan Fried Pork Chops, Roasted Potatoes & Baby Greens Salad

By : YogurtHydro | 11 Comments | On : May 20, 2015 | Category : Cooking & Baking, Food, Main, Recipes, Salad

It is odd cooking in someone else’s kitchen! All the usual tools and foods are there, but nothing seems quite right!

I mentioned last week I’m staying in Prince George visiting family. I am staying at an uncles house. He normally lives on his own and is enjoying having someone make meals!

For this meal, I served pan fried pork chops, roasted potatoes and a gravy (made with a roux) next to an amazing baby greens salad. Yum!
The salad was a real show stopper. Blueberry mixes so wonderfully with fresh shaved parmesan – they set each other off perfectly. You need to try this salad!

I learned late that the oven is over 100 degrees out and won’t go above 350F (This information was news to my uncle as well.)!
After starting the potatoes at 375F, I discovered (when they should have been ready) that the oven was only heated to just under 270 (I managed to locate an oven thermometer – good investment!). I cranked it to 450 and managed to get it somewhere near 350F, but the potatoes definitely took longer than expected.

So – the chops sat in a warm oven for about 30 minutes after they were done, waiting on potatoes!!
These were not nice big juicy bone-in chops either, so the extra time was not very kind to them.
They look the part after waiting so long, but they tasted great, and hopefully your oven won’t leave you waiting!!

Other than oven issues, it was an excellent meal.

Kevin is back home taking care of everything there (I miss him!!)
Since he has our cell phone with him, I picked up a new one for myself. The pictures in this post were taken with my new Samsung Galaxy S4, and I don’t think I have the settings right just yet! LOL. I’ll work on that so I can post better pictures next time, bear with me!

Without further preamble, the how-to’s are as follows, and served 2 people:

The Potatoes:
Preheat oven to 375F ;)

2 medium – large russet potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2″ cubes

Place potatoes in single layer in oven dish with:

1/4 of a vidalia onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. dried chives
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
4 tbsps. extra virgin olive oil

Roast for 15 minutes before flipping potatoes. Continue to flip every 10 minutes until cooked and browned. (Approx. 35 – 40 minutes.)

Roasted potatoes and pan fried pork chops topped with gravy

Roasted potatoes and pan fried pork chops topped with gravy and served with salad

The salad:
(Measurements are approximate, adjust to suit)

2 1/2 cups mixed baby greens

I used a store bought combination of greens including:

Endive, Radicchio, Green & Red Romaine, Green & Red Oak, Tango, Lolla Rossa, Green & Red Leaf, Mizuna, Arugula, Tatsoi, Mache, Green & Red Chard, and baby Spinach.

1/8 cup very thin slices of vidalia onion
3 – 4 cremini mushrooms, cut in half and then sliced thinly
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh shaved parmesan cheese

Toss together and chill in fridge until ready to serve.

Fresh shaved parmesan…

…blueberries…

mixed baby greens

The Pork Chops:

2 pork chops
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Preheat skillet and oil at medium- high heat. Pan should be hot enough to immediately sear chops.

While pan is heating up, season chops liberally with salt and pepper.

Add pork chops to HOT pan, reduce heat to medium, and leave the first side to cook without moving them around in the pan. I am always tempted to move things around, but for perfectly browned chops – DO NOT TOUCH.:)
Cook for 6 – 8 minutes, flip and cook other side another 6 minutes.

Remove chops to a plate and let rest while making gravy.

The Gravy:

Combine 1 1/2 cups warm water with 1 cube bouillon (I used chicken bouillon).

Whisk together until dissolved. Set aside.

Use spatula to scrape fond from bottom of pan. With pan at medium-high heat, add:

1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup finely minced onion

Stir using whisk to incorporate. Quickly whisk in:

1/4 cup flour

Use whisk to quickly stir continuously until it smells somewhat like popcorn. Continue cooking and whisking quickly for 2 more minutes. This is your pre-gravy-eating workout.;)

Add bouillon mixture 1/2 cup at a time whisking together quickly until gravy is desired consistency.

Roasted potatoes and pan fried pork chops topped with gravy and served with salad

Roasted potatoes and pan fried pork chops topped with gravy

mixed baby greens

Enjoy! If you try this salad, I’d love to hear your review. We loved it! Blueberries and parmesan – who knew?!!

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