Baked Stuffed Pork Chops with Grainy Mustard Mashed Potatoes

I've been trying to use up the contents of my chest freezer - I find that things fall to the bottom and linger there forever, so I have to make a concentrated effort to prevent that from happening.  One of the items that had been languishing in the freezer for a couple months was a package of stuffed pork chops.  There were two chops, stuffed with what looked like Stove-Top (Andrew's favorite!) so I figured I'd make them for Sunday dinner last week.

I started out by searing the chops in my cast iron skillet.  I drizzled a little olive oil, then went 3-4 minutes on each side over medium-high heat.

I opted to make this meal as simple as possible, so I added some small yellow onions that had been quartered and one bunch of asparagus, washed and trimmed, to the pan.  I added two frozen cubes (4 tbsp.) of chicken stock to the pan and put it in the oven for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Once it was done, I let it cool for a few minutes, then served with Grainy Mustard Mashed Potatoes.

Grainy Mustard Mashed Potatoes
adapted from Tyler Florence 

4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 c. skim milk
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried chopped bay leaves
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. grainy mustard
salt & pepper

Combine potatoes, milk, thyme, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Be careful not to raise the heat too high, as this will scorch the milk.  Boil for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.  Add olive oil, butter, and mustard to the pot.

Beat with an electric mixer until potatoes are fluffy.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

I halved Tyler's recipe so it would serve 2-3 people instead of 4-6.  Honestly, Andrew and I each ate a heaping serving, I ate one serving for lunch the next day, and I froze two large servings for another time.  So I really got more like 5 servings out of this "half" recipe.  The mustard mashies went well with the pork and were a welcome change from plain mashed potatoes. 

This simple Sunday dinner was a delicious meal to end one week and start a new one.  I can't believe we're almost halfway through January already - I hope your 2010 is off to a great start!