Iowa's known for their pork products. I've never been a big fan of pork, though, because I like my meat more rare and obviously, you can't cook pork rare. Well, you can, I suppose, but the results aren't pretty.
I saw a basic form of this recipe on a Facebook group and being as I can't ever just stick to the basics, I added some extra bang and came up with the most AMAZING dish I've ever tasted.
Smothered Pork Chops
4 butterflied Iowa chops - boneless with the fat trimmed off
2 boxes Stove Top stuffing, prepared per box instructions
2 large cans Cream of Mushroom soup
2 c. milk
3 onions, sliced
½ c. flour (seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder to your taste)
¼ c. vegetable oil
½ c. apple juice
¼ c. brown sugar
Preheat oven to 325°
Bread the chops in the flour mix and sear in the hot oil in a skillet. While they're cooking, prepare the stuffing mix according to box directions and set aside. Also, mix the mushroom soup and milk and pour half of it into the bottom of a large baking dish. Once the chops are browned, put them in the baking dish. and cover with the remaining mushroom soup.
With the oil still on a medium-high flame, brown the onions (seasoned as you choose- I used a bit of sage, salt, pepper and garlic powder). Carefully scoop out the onions and place over the chops in the baking pan. Leave the oil drippings in the pan and add a few tablespoons of the flour mix that didn't get used for the breading. Stir together and create a roux. Add the apple juice and brown sugar and stir until a gravy consistency is achieved. Pour the gravy over the onions and cover the baking dish with foil.
Bake at 325° for 45 minutes, covered. Remove foil and spread the stuffing over the top of the chops. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
Serve with mashed potatoes or rice. Also excellent with soups!
