Smothered Pork Chops

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the potatoes. Peel and boil potatoes. I use a ricer with my mashed potatoes, which removes the peel and mashes everything in one step. Once potatoes are mashed, add 3 tablespoons of salted butter and 1/8 cup of cream, stirring just until mixed.

While the potatoes are boiling, preheat a large cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottom skillet over medium heat. Peel and slice onion. Place 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet and allow it to melt. Add onion rings to the skillet and sauté until onions have softened and caramelized. Add the mushrooms to the sautéed onions and continue cooking until they have softened as well. Remove the onions and mushrooms from the skillet and set aside. Keep the butter and juices in the skillet.

While the mushrooms and onions are sautéing, whisk together 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture into a plate for dredging the pork chops.

Trim some of the fat off of the pork chops. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the pork chops and tenderize them with a kitchen hammer. Pound out the pork chops to desired thickness.

Dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess flour. Reserve 1/4 cup of the remaining seasoned flour for gravy.

In the same hot skillet, add the 1-2 tablespoons of butter and pork chops cooking over high heat until golden brown. Then, remove them from the skillet to a plate and set aside. Pork chops will cook thoroughly in a later step.

Turn temperature to low-medium heat. Add the remaining butter to the skillet, along with 1/4 cup of the reserved seasoned flour, and whisk and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk in the chicken broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.

Once the gravy has started to thicken, add 1/2 cup of buttermilk and whisk until combined.

Add the mushrooms and onions back to the gravy, along with any juices. Next, add pork chops back to the skillet, nestling them down into the gravy. Simmer on low-medium until pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Remove from heat. Garnish with chopped parsley and cracked pepper.

Serve smothered pork chops with mashed potatoes and gravy and Buttermilk Biscuits. Enjoy!