Making Magic Happen With McCormick Mushroom Gravy

Yes, magic does happen. No, there is no trick card up my sleeve. This is about turning magic out of a packet of plain old mushroom gravy. I use the name McCormick, because, while they seem to have the corner on the market with regards to spices and flavor seasonings for anything from meat to veggies, it was also what I found while rooting through the kitchen cabinets. I’ve been on a mushroom and roasted potatoes kick the last week or so and had some boneless pork chops I wanted to cook up. I saw the packet of mushroom gravy and suddenly the challenge was on in my head. I became so excited and knew this was going to be phenomenal or at the very least edible.

So here it goes, simple, easy, tasty.  Cut the potatoes and mushrooms up (not too big or small), salt, pepper, rosemary (or whatever other kind of savory herb you want), olive oil to coat, 425 degrees for just under an hour, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick to the roasting pan. Next tenderize the pork chops (makes all the difference with chicken and pork I find). I used a Chicago Steak House rub on them for flavoring, but put whatever seasoning you want on the chops. Get a cast iron grill pan (if you can’t grill the chops), spray with cooking spray and let it really heat up. Toss on the pork chops, searing them about 3-4 minutes on either side. Take your mushroom stems (more mushrooms if you have them), sauté them up in some butter with a hint of olive oil (to not burn the butter) along with a finely chopped onion. Once they begin to get tender, add your packet of mushroom gravy with 1 cup of water and ½ cup of milk or as I used, light cream (I hate milk). Add salt and lots of ground black pepper. If you want something else add it. You like parsley, add that; or tarragon, thyme, sage, whatever you want. Add what you like and add as much as you like (only rule of thumb is to go less, because you can always add more later). Bring to simmer, add pork chops to finish cooking them. Depending on how big the chops are will depend how long to cook but the ideal internal temperature for cooked pork is 140/145 degrees. Once the chops are done and the potatoes and mushrooms are done, you will have an amazing mushroom gravy to accompany your meal. So simple, so easy and so cheap. You can vary anything and I by no means re-invented the wheel here. Just a little magic of my own. Try it, you will be surprised how yummy it is.