Baked Pork Chops with White Wine Sauce

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The more I am diving into French cooking, the more I am loving it.  Take this Julia Child-inspired recipe for instance.  Pork chops.  Can't get much more "down-home" than that, can you?  But in a buttery white wine sauce? 

Dinner just became an event.

Oh, and did I mention it's not only really yummy but really easy, too?  Sorry.  Guess I overlooked that little tidbit.

Baked Pork Chops with White Wine Sauce

• 3 pork chops, cut 1 inch thick
• 1-½  to 2 T lard or other healthy oil that has a higher smoke point
• Salt & pepper
• 1/8  t thyme
• 1 T butter
• 1 garlic cloves, halved
• ¼ C dry white wine (i.e. Chardonnay)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 
2.  Dry the pork chops on paper towels. 
3.  Heat the lard or oil in a casserole dish or cast iron skillet until it is moderately hot.  Brown the chops, 2 or 3 at a time, on each side for 3 to 4 minutes. As they are browned transfer them to a side dish if needed. 
4.  Season chops with salt, pepper, and 1/8 t thyme if they have not been previously marinated. 
5.  Pour the fat out of the casserole and add the butter and garlic, allowing the butter to melt. 
6.  Return the chops to the casserole, overlapping slightly, and baste them with the melted butter. 
7.  Cover and heat the casserole until the meat is sizzling, then set in lower third of preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. 
8.  Turn and baste the chops once or twice. 
9.  Remove chops to serving platter. 
10.  Remove all but 1 T of fat from the casserole and add in the white wine. 
11. Boil rapidly, scraping up crusty bits and juices until you have about 1/4 cup of concentrated sauce. Pour sauce over chops and anything else that just happens to get in the way.