Mushroom gravy over pork chops? Yes, please! My family really likes pork chops, and since they are fast and easy to cook, I make them fairly often.  To prepare this dish, start off by cooking the mushrooms, pork chops, then gravy, in that order.  It’s all cooked in the same skillet at different intervals.  I prefer boneless center cut pork chops that are butterflied, if available. I cut them in half down the middle before they go in the skillet.

Mushrooms

• 16 ounces fresh, sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup butter

Add the mushrooms, onion and butter to a large skillet and cook on medium high heat until soft and slightly browned.  Season with salt and pepper, then remove from skillet and placed in a covered dish.

Pork Chops

• 1 pound pork chops
• Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• olive oil

I season pork chops most often with Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning, a spice that comes in a green shaker can on the shelves of U.S. grocery stores. Their logo says, “It’s great on everything.” Sprinkle the seasoning evenly on both sides of the pork, then toss it in the same skillet. That’s it!  With the Creole seasoning you’ll  get plenty of spiciness, but not too much heat.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium high or high, then place each pork shop in the pan and cook a few minutes on each side until it browns lightly. I also stack them all on the sides, leaning onto the side of the skillet, for a minute or two to sear the edges.  After they are browned and done, remove the pork chops from the skillet.

Gravy

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• salt and pepper
• water

Shortly after removing the pork chops from the skillet, you will deglaze the pan by adding about 1/2 cup water to loosen all the fond from the bottom.  You can also use cooking sherry. In a cup, stir the cream and flour together until is smooth and free from lumps.  Add the cream and flour mixture to the skillet, and stir everything together.  Add more water as needed to get the desired gravy consistency. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.  When the gravy has thickened, add the mushrooms back to the skillet.  Serve over pork chops and mashed potatoes.