A Mess of Pork Chops

It's not some title I spent a long time coming up with.  That's the name of the recipe I found for my first attempt at pork chops on the NY Times Cooking App - "A Mess of Pork Chops with Dijon Dressing."  

I always think of pork chops as dry and something I just really don't want to eat.  Well, in sticking with my newfound desire to try new things, when I saw pork chops on sale at Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago I thought WTH, I'll try them.  And no, I didn't leave them in the fridge this whole time.  I took them out of the freezer on Monday and started brining them yesterday per the directions.  Although I forgot the all spice.  Oops.

As for the sides, I stir fried brussel sprouts with garlic and salt and pepper and ditto for the broccoli.  The potatoes are a recipe from a Williams Sonoma cookbook I bought years ago and we really like this room temperature salad.  Not Charlie.  He doesn't like potatoes - how in the world can the kid have Irish blood in him and not like potatoes I really don't know.  The kid dislikes them so much that if he is naughty we tell him Santa will bring him potatoes.  Seriously.  Somehow he likes french fries, though.  Go figure.

I realized five minutes before going to get the kids that they wouldn't eat the potato salad and thought "oh crap, what starch will they eat?"  So I gave them some yeasted scallion pancake things that my mother in law makes.  No picture of those but one day I can post the recipe from her (although she doesn't go by recipes like any respectable chef).

Overall, both Shao and I agree that this was a 6 out of 10.  In Shao's words, "a respectable dinner but not up there with your best" and I agree.  The shallot "sauce" on it was a bit too tangy for us, so the pork was kind of sweet and sour.  I probably won't make it again.

So, how do you all cook pork chops?  Please comment with some recipes!!!

I have to work on the presentation and photography....

Pork chops brining in the fridge.  Salt, pepper and thyme twigs.  I forgot the allspice.

The finished product without the sauce - this one was packed in the kids' lunch boxes for tomorrow.

I used to hate brussel sprouts, but now I really like them.  I tell Charlie that they make you tooty and then he will eat them.  That always works.

The sauce for the pork chops.  When I sent the picture to my sister I told her it looks like poop.  She didn't disagree so I took the silence as agreement.