Old Fashioned Sunday Night Supper: Stuffed Pork Chops with Apple & Sweet Potato Casserole

One Sunday night not too long ago, I decided to make a nice, old fashioned Sunday night supper. I had been working hard on a film and G was in the middle of studying hard for finals. Comfort food seemed in order.

The day before, I had paid my first visit to our neighborhood butcher. How many people actually have a neighborhood butcher these days? It seemed high time that I started taking advantage, so I took a walk down to Victor's Meats & Delicatessen to see what they had to offer. (Check out my friend Sarah Beth's review on Yelp) Amongst the many appetizing meats in the display case were some delicious looking pork chops with apple stuffing. The butcher suggested that the best way to prepare these would be to simple put them in a casserole dish with a little apple juice and put them in a 350° oven for one hour. I took two and made my way home.

The next day I plotted how to turn my pork chops into a supper. I had a vague notion that sweet potatoes would pair well. Some muse lead me to consult The Casseroles Cookbook from Southern Living– and old cookbook from 1971 that I stole from my mom at some point. (I love old cookbooks!) A search of sweet potatoes in the index lead me to this recipe:

Apple & Sweet Potato Casserole

1 2lb can sweet potatoes
2 c. sliced peeled apples
¾ cups maple-blended syrup
¼ cup melted butter
1 tsp salt

Drain the Sweet Potatoes and slice lengthwise. Place in a greased 12x8x2 –inch baking dish. Place apple slices on potatoes. Combine the syrup, butter and salt and pour over apples. Cover Bake in 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake for about 30 minutes longer or until apples are tender, basting frequently and adding syrup, if needed.

Making this recipe jive with my pork chops was going to be a cinch, but the recipe definitely needed some updates.

The first thing go were the canned sweet potatoes. I used 2 medium sized fresh sweet potatoes instead. Next, ¾ cup maple-blended syrup seemed like it be cloyingly sweet, so I used about ½ the quantity and used real maple syrup. Taking the butcher’s recommendation, I swapped in apple juice for the remaining liquid quantity. I used the unfiltered kind they sell at TJ’s, as it has a thicker consistency and better flavor than the regular supermarket varieties. I also used a little less butter than called for. Finally, I didn’t peel a thing. I just left the skins on everything, just gave it all a good scrubbing. That’s where all the fiber is anyways.

I piled everything into the pot as directed and then nestled in the pork chops, and then popped it all into the oven.

I pretty much followed all the cooking instructions as given, but I pulled out the pork chops at the hour mark. I put the pot with the apples and sweet potatoes back in to finish cooking while the pork chops rested.


The pork chops were plump and juicy and the apples and sweet potatoes had just the right amount of sweetness! I served the chops and the casserole on a bed of greens I had sautéed with a little garlic, olive oil and mustard, as I thought the bitterness from the green would contrast nicely with the sweetness of the casserole. It was just the right combo

Now, you’re probably thinking, but what if I don’t have a neighborhood butcher? I have often seen similarly prepped items in the deli section of the grocery store. Alternatively I think this would be really delicious with a regular, un-stuffed pork chop as well, but I would get them still on the bone. The result is a deliciously retro one-pot meal.

(For some reason the chops look a little pink in this picture, but it was actually fully cooked)