Posted by johngl
A few days ago, the most glorious spousal unit stated, “If you make it home by 7 on Friday, I will make you a nice dinner.” What she didn’t know at the time was that I had to attend a Web Task Force meeting with the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas at 3:30; I was going to be coming home early anyway. I was feeling pretty smug.
“Sure, my dear <chuckle>, I’ll be home early Friday.” Early is actually late for most working stiffs, but I usually don’t walk through the front door until around 8:30 these days.
The meeting lasted two hours. I was going to make it home really early.
Pan Seared Porterhouse Cut Pork Chops with Organic Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes and Brandy-infused gravy
By the time I walked in the door, she had things already in progress. The really nice chops, from the Sprouts Farmers Market that just opened a few weeks ago, were sitting in a brine solution made up of salt, brown sugar, and peppercorns. She was wielding a large Santoku-style knife and was using it to dice up the organic Yukon Golds; I stayed back a few feet.
“Lu-cy, I’m ho-o-ome.” Her name isn’t Lucy.
After dropping off my bulging bison-skin man-purse — laden with a laptop, mouse, a hundred files I never look at, ucler meds, alergy meds, pain meds, and a Leatherman multi-tool (one must be prepared for anything) — I wandered through the house, chased our 14 lb. cat (Señor Patches) for a bit (this is how he greets me: with a game of chase), and shed my suit, tie, and wing tips once I made it into the bedroom.
I don’t wear suits, ties, or wing tips, but the rest of that paragraph is true.
In my comfy clothes — sweat pants, t-shirt, and purple crocs — I chased the cat back out into the kitchen.
The smells emanating from the stove were glorious. Fresh seared meat and steaming potatoes.
Wondering how I might help out, I checked the fridge for any leftover stock I could use for gravy. Not finding anything there, most glorious suggested I look in the freezer. Score! One cup of homemade chicken stock. I grabbed some butter from the fridge while I was there.
I melted the stock in my Baumalu hand-hammered, hand-tinned copper saucier (yep, I’m snooty) and reduced it for a bit.
Most glorious one removed these great looking chops…
and set them aside (covered with aluminum foil) to allow them to rest whist she mashed the taters…
and I worked on the gravy.
I deglazed the frying-pan with quite a bit of brandy, flamed it out, and reduced it, then dumped the wonderful pork fond into the saucier. I tasted it and it still seemed a bit too chickeny and needed some salt. Rooting out my Knorr’s beef bouillon cubes, which are mostly salt (but can add some beefy flavor elements), I pulverized about half of one and tossed it into the gravy.
Tasting again, the chicken was toned down quite a ways, the salt level was good, but it still needed something. I added a pinch of granulated garlic, a dash of pequin powder, and mounted the sauce with butter.
Yummers.
The chops were rested, the taters were mashed; we were ready to plate.
She’d cooked the chops to perfection (about 140°), the potatoes were rich and creamy, and the gravy finished things out nicely.
These days, most glorious spousal unit and I don’t get a chance to cook together very often, so this was a rare treat. I think getting home early on Friday’s is a good idea, board meeting or not.
