How to Cook : German Pork Chops

Can you tell it’s fall? Two food posts in one week! My family’s tummies are so happy.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but one of my go-to cookbooks is the More-with-Less Cookbook. If the cookbook police came around and demanded I give up all my cookbooks but one, this one would be on the short list. That’s how much I love it. Today’s recipe comes from that cookbook.

Last weekend we harvested the rest of our potatoes, so I’ve been revisiting all of my favorite potato comfort foods. This recipe combines potatoes and pork chops, cooked in one pan, for a simple but tasty dish that works for Sunday dinner or a weeknight supper.

You can vary the recipe according to the number of people you’re serving. Basically, you’ll need one pork chop and one medium-sized potato per person. I used 6 of each tonight. Thinly slice the potatoes and layer in a 9×13 cake pan. Season with salt, pepper, and caraway seed. Lay the pork chops on top of the potatoes, and season them the same way.

As an aside…how many of you have one of these:

I think we may have got this as a wedding present, 16 years ago. And it’s still one of my favorite kitchen tools. It makes quick work of slicing potatoes, or shredding massive amounts of zucchini.

Anyhoo.

Next dump a can of sauerkraut on top of the chops, and season with still more caraway seeds. You just can’t have too many of those little buggers. The sauerkraut I used was actually a sauerkraut relish I had leftover from a bratwurst cookout. It was languishing in the refrigerator, crying out to be used up and put out of its misery already. But you can just use a regular ol’ jar of sauerkraut.

Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of water, depending on how many chops & potatoes you’ve used. Cover with foil and stick it in the oven.

Then go watch 12 games of volleyball.

The recipe instructs to bake at 350 degrees for an hour. Since I knew I was going to be gone a few hours, I baked them at 325 degrees for 2-1/2 hours. Gotta love a recipe with that kind of flexibility! Either way, remove the foil and bake 15 minutes more to brown the chops a bit.

German Pork Chops
adapted from the More-with-Less Cookbook

Layer potato slices in 9×13 cake pan. Season with salt, pepper, and caraway seeds. Lay pork chops over potatoes. Season again with salt, pepper, and caraway seeds. Layer sauerkraut over chops, and season again with caraway seeds. Add 1/5 cup water. Cover pan with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for an hour. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes longer.

For dessert, we were treated to an apple pie made from scratch by Olivia! She attended a 4-H pie-baking workshop after school today, and her very first attempt was quite delicious. Her grandma Lola would be so proud!

3 years ago:

“family time”