This dish is great for guys trying to impress a woman (because it's easy), it's good for friends (because it takes a while and there is enough for two people), and its great if you wanna treat yourself (because it makes good leftovers).
Now there are a few components to this dinner. First, the main dish. Two to three medium to thick pork chops will be needed for this dish. Many people get intimidated when cooking with pork other than bacon for the first time... don't. Pork is an extremely easy meat to work with, and hard to mess up if you keep your eye on it while cooking.
The taters. As a cook in Idaho it would a mortal sin to not cook up potatoes with the meat. I am a big fan of mashed potatoes, and that is something I am clearly not alone on. Mashed potatoes are easy, comforting, and a great tool to soak up some of the cream sauce from the pork. You will need 4-6 (depending on the size) Idaho grown (hopefully) Yukon Gold potatoes. I like to use Yukon Gold because of the naturally buttery flavor the posses on their own, and it mixes really well with cheeses and garlic. Score (cut) the potatoes all the way across the center before boiling them in a big pot for 15-20 minuets until soft. Stick in a bowl of cold water right after you take them out as this will easily get the skins off of them.
I like to usually do two sides with a main dish, and the second one that always seems to go well with meat is asparagus. I like to use the really skinny shoe string asparagus because of how easily it crisps up in the oven compared to the thicker stalks. I keep it really simple with the vegetable, using salt, pepper, oil, and a little rosemary (and sometimes a little balsamic vinegar). I put the asparagus on a baking sheet and throw on the ingredients and just mix by hand. Throw it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 375 and broil on high for the last two minutes. Wah-la, done.
