Weeknight Pork Chops & Stacked Potatoes
I’m a big fan of homey dinners... you know the ones... pot roast, fried chicken, meatloaf, and even spaghetti! I think what qualifies as a homey dinner, is a meal that doesn't take much thought, something I've made over and over, tried and true, and that I know will taste good. This dinner is just a small twist on my ordinary pork chops and potatoes I would usually make. Normally, I would pan fry floured chops and make a potato casserole. "Daddy's potatoes" we call them. (A hearty casserole of layered potatoes, cheese, onions, and worcestershire sauce that my dad loved to eat.) Sometimes I make pan fried pork chops, mashed potatoes, and applesauce as another "homey weeknight meal." Tonight I wanted just a little something extra for this weeknight meal. It's Friday night, after all, so I decided to mix it up a bit! So here's what I came up with... parmesan pork chops and cheesy stacked potatoes!
Here's what you'll need... (I made this dinner for three people and it was plenty!)
Ingredients:
4 pork chops
Italian style breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese (shaker style or freshly grated)
Olive oil
2 medium sized potatoes
3 tbsp melted butter
Cooking spray
Shredded cheddar cheese
Ranch dressing
Quarter of an onion, sliced
Worcestershire sauce
Thyme or parsley for garnish (optional)
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a muffin pan with some cooking spray. I only ended up using of the cups. I probably could have gotten away with using one potato.
Step 2. Get that butter melting in the microwave in a small bowl. Also, microwave the potatoes for 4 minutes.
Step 3. Slice the potatoes (doesn't have to be super thin) and place a slice in each muffin cup. (The potatoes should be cooked almost all the way but not mush.)
Step 4. Next, layer "stacks" with a smear of ranch dressing, a few onion slices, a dash of worcestershire, a sprinkling of cheddar cheese, and an optional garnish of thyme or chopped parsley on top.
I decided to add ranch to "Daddy's potatoes" this time. I have no rhyme or reason, other than it sounded like a good idea! Ordinarily, I would use a casserole dish and more potatoes, but since I was only cooking for a few people, a muffin tin also seemed like a good idea. The addition of the ranch made the potatoes more creamy and the muffin tin made the stacks extra crispy!
Step 5. Spoon the melted butter over the stacks and make a tinfoil tent over the pan. You don't want the cheese to burn and you also don't want the cheese to to stick to the foil, so therefore, pitch a tent!
Step 6. Pop the pan in the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes.
Step 7. Line out some dishes or paper plates on the counter to bread your chops! Mix some parmesan into the Italian breadcrumbs.. a couple spoonfuls. Dip chops into olive oil (just enough to coat them) and then dip in the breadcrumb mixture.
Step 8. Lightly coat a frying pan in olive oil and brown the pork chops on med-high heat just until browned on both sides.
Step 9. Transfer to a baking pan and bake for the rest of the time left on the potatoes. Should be around 10 minutes and cooked until no longer pink in the middle. I used not thin and not thick chops, just a regular cut. (Here's a trick: I sprinkle a light dusting of salt on the bottom of the pan before I set the pork chops on. It keeps them from getting soggy and helps them to stay crisp!)
The following is not the prettiest of potato pictures, but I promise you it's delish! Use a spoon to scoop out and serve the potato stacks.
I served these pork chops and potato stacks alongside vinaigrette dressed salad greens tonight... the meal was so flavorful! A step up from my regular chops and potatoes.
The pork chops were seasoned well with the addition of the parmesan.. The potato stacks were just too good...cheesy, gooey...is that an appetizing word? Well, it should be! The melted butter on the stacks really crisped up the edges in the muffin pan.
This dinner was good enough to blog about I'd say... and good enough to make again! Hope you decide to try this recipe out for one of your upcoming weeknight meals or even for a dinner party among friends! If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below! What are your favorite "homey meals?" Let me know below!
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