Tender Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples and Onions

so i'm finally getting back to cooking. actually i made the feta chicken last week and it was sooo yummy. but last night i made these pork chops with caramalized apples and onions. they were so easy and so good. i even got a raving review from wade, which is kind of rare. i made these after church, which is a good option since it takes three hours to bake in the oven. otherwise it was actually a super easy and simple recipe. and obviously, i stole the recipe and photo from my kitchen cafe.

4 bone-in pork loin chops (at least 1/2-inch thick) {i used 6 pork chops}
2-3 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced about 1/4-inch thick
1-2 yellow onions, sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

{with 6 pork chops, i used 2 1/2 apples and almost an entire large onion. i used a pampered chef 9x13 pan since it's a little bigger and then filled it up as much as i wanted with apples and onions. i probably also used closer to 1/2 cup of brown sugar.}

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place the onion slices in an even layer over the bottom of the dish. Top the onion slices with the apples. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the apples and onions. Season the pork chops generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange the pork chops in a single layer on top of the apples and onions. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake in the preheated oven for three hours. Do not open the oven and lift the foil – the pork chops, apples and onions need to be tightly covered the whole time to work their magic (and not dry out).

{seriously, this was so easy and so good}

Serve each pork chop with Parmesan smashed potatoes and topped with the apples and onions.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Melanie, a reader of MKC

Parmesan and Garlic Smashed Potatoes

5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, rinsed and diced
2 teaspoons salt

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter
¾ cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
4-5 cloves roasted garlic (trim the pointy end off a head of garlic, place sprout-side down on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, fold sides of foil up to enclose the garlic completely and cook in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the garlic is tender; the cloves squeeze right out of their skins when they are ready)

In a large pot, place the potatoes and cover with water (by at least two inches). Add the salt. Bring to a boil, and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and return to the hot pot. Begin mashing the potatoes. Add the butter and mash in to the potatoes. Add the milk, cheese, roasted garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Mash until the potatoes are smooth. Serve immediately.

{i used regular russet potatoes and didn't have any fresh garlic cloves, so i just added minced garlic, but i'm guessing that the roasted garlic would've made the potatoes super yummy.}