A Blast from the Past

One morning as Kiddo stood in front of the refrigerator, reading the menu posted for the week, he asked why can’t we have stuff we like, that you’ve made before. I will admit, not everything I make is for blogging, but most of it is.

His was a fair question. I mean, I’ve been cooking and sharing recipes for almost 8 years now. There are a few recipes I shared way back when that some of you might not have seen. Not to mention that recipes tend to evolve. Take these Potato Pork Chops with Tarragon for instance, a recipe I first shared in October of 2018. While today’s share is basically the same, this time around there are bones in the pork chops. I know boneless anything is easier to eat. However; bones impart a flavor you simply cannot get any other way. A boneless Ribeye steak has great flavor, but a bone-in Ribeye is beyond amazing. Chicken thighs and pork chops are the same way. Unfortunately, bones do not help chicken breasts. Somewhere along the way in our evolution we have bred all the flavor out of our chickens. But that’s a rant for another day.

So here we go – a blast from the past with a bone-in twist. Remember to embrace every day with all the joy you can muster. Let your hearts rejoice with every breath you take. God is awesome, and He will meet you with a radiant love – all you need do is look to Him.

Potato Pork Chops with Tarragon
6 bone-in Pork Chops
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Onion Powder or enough to season each chop
1 can Cream of Potato Soup
2 cups Chicken Stock
1 teaspoon dried Tarragon

Note: While I only made 3 pork chops, this recipe can easily handle 6 total.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a casserole dish with cooking spray for easy clean up.

Season chops with salt, pepper and onion powder on both sides. Rub gently to get more of the seasoning down into the meat.

Over medium heat, brown chops in enough bacon drippings to lightly coat bottom of large skillet. Cook chops 3 minutes per side or until lightly browned.

Place pork chops in the prepared casserole dish. Mix Cream of Potato Soup, chicken stock and tarragon together in a large bowl. Add the soup mixture to the now empty skillet to bring all those lovely browned bits into the sauce. Pour over pork chops. Cover tightly with foil and bake the heated oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn chops over about half way through the cooking time to allow both sides to be saturated in sauce.

Serve directly from the casserole dish or for a more formal presentation, place chops on a large rimmed serving platter, spoon soup over the chops just before serving.

While the pork chops are baking, make the mashed potatoes.

French Onion Mashed Potatoes
8 Russet Potatoes
1/2 cup Milk
1 envelop Onion Soup Mix
2 tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Sour Cream
Black Pepper to taste
1 Green Onion

Peel, rinse and dice potatoes into 1-1/2 inch cubes. Place potatoes in a 3-quart saucepan and cover with about an inch of water. Bring to a boil, cover; reduce heat to a steady roll and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes or so.

While the potatoes are boiling, heat milk to the boiling point in a small saucepan. Whisk onion soup mix and butter into the hot milk until blended and the butter has melted. Set aside.

Drain potatoes thoroughly, return to pot over low heat. Stir for 1 minute to burn off any excess water remaining in the potatoes. Remove from heat.

Pour soup mixture over the potatoes, mash until fairly smooth. Stir in the sour cream and season with black pepper. If necessary, re-warm potatoes over low heat, stirring to prevent scorching.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Snip green onion, scatter over potatoes just before serving.

This pork chops supper is delicious served French Onion Mashed Potatoes and Cut Green Beans.

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Christ has no body on earth but yours,
No hands but yours,
No feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which
Christ’s compassion for the world is to look out;
Yours are the feet with which
He is to go about doing good;
And yours are the hands with which
He is to bless us now.
– Saint Teresa of Ávila