French Onion Smothered Pork Chops

Smothered Pork Chops – the French way! 😉

FRENCH ONION MEETS SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS

Whenever you see the word “smothered” in the context of food, you know you’re onto a good thing. Whether it’s Chicken smothered in Mushroom Gravy, Steaks with Peppercorn Sauce, Salisbury Steak or Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy, if it’s smothered then you know you’re in for a good meal. Right?? Today’s smother sauce of choice – French Onion Gravy. ↓↓↓ There’s a juicy pork chop under there. Promise.

THE CARAMELISED ONION

I promised you French Onion, and French Onion you shall get. So in true French Onion soup style, we’re starting with a base of caramelised onions. 2 big onions, sliced into rounds then leisurely sautéed in butter for 15 minutes until they transform from a giant mound of eye-stinging raw onion into THIS: sweet, golden, caramelised onion. With no help from sugar at all!

INGREDIENTS IN FRENCH ONION SMOTHERED PORK

The caramelised onion makes such a fabulous flavour base, there’s very few other flavourings required for this French Onion Smothered Pork. Butter, garlic and onion for the Caramelised Onion. Simple seasonings for the chops – garlic powder (not critical), salt and pepper. Beef broth/stock and flour to make the French Onion Gravy. And the finishes touches: cheese to melt on top of the pork chops, and a little sprinkle of fresh rosemary. Skip or sub the rosemary. But if you’re after a true French Onion experience, don’t skip the cheese! (I feel like I say that a lot…..🤔)

ALL MADE IN ONE SKILLET

I like to make these French Onion Smothered Chops in one skillet. Not to save on washing up, because actually, using one skillet increases the overall cook time. One skillet means we don’t waste any flavour. Caramelise the onions first, then remove. Use the residual fat in the skillet to sear the pork chops briefly – we want them raw on the inside to finish cooking later in the French Onion Gravy. Take the pork chops out then return the onion into the skillet to make the gravy. This way, our gravy also benefits from all those tasty brown bits left in the pan from searing the chops (called fond, if you want the technical term!). Then finally, we return the chops into the gravy to finish cooking. It’s a two-way flavour street here – the chops soak up those tasty gravy flavours, and the juices from the chops mingles into the gravy.

As for the finishing touch, that melted cheese… Yes it’s optional. But around these parts, French Onion Soup without a piece of cheesy bread is just onion soup…. 😂 ~ Nagi x PS Yes this can be made with chicken. Or beef, for that matter. Though It’d probably skip the cheese for beef.