Pork Chops and Champagne

The other day I had a dilemma. I had taken some pork chops out for dinner and didn't know what to do with them. What to do? I decided to get the help of my twitter friends. My friend Enobytes tweeted me the link to a recipe - Pork Chops in a Creamy Champagne Sauce with Rustic Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Bingo...I went for it.

Champagne..I am not a big Champagne drinker. I had two bottles in the house. A 2007 Whitecliff Sparkling Wine (made from Estate Chardonnay) and a Clinton Vineyards Jubilee. Clinton was the winner. Of course when you cook with wine or champagne..a little for the dish, a little for the cook.

The Jubilee was nice and crisp with a little hint of apples. That ought to go good with Pork Chops. To my surprise this dish was very easy to prepare and was ready in no time. I didn't even over cook the pork. It was very tasty. The champagne made a wonderful sauce. The mashed potatoes were great!
Here is the recipe:
4 red potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
4 peeled garlic cloves
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to tate
1 tbs olive oil
6 ork loin chops
1/4 cup chopped shallots
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 cup sparlking wine or dry Champagne
1 tbs flour
1 cup milk.

Potatoes: Place potatoes and garlic in a saucepan with water to cover. Boil and cook 8 minutes until fork tender. Drain and return to pan. Mash and add sour cream until smooth. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper.

Pork: Heat oil in large skillet ofer medium heat. Season pork with salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove pork. In the same pan add shallots and cook 2 minutes until soft. Add thyme and tarragon and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add sprakling wine and cook 1 minute. Whisk flour into milk and add to pan. Return pork to pan and simme 3-5 minutes until pork is cooked through and sauce thickened.

Enjoy!