Betty Lives!

Helen Gurley Brown’s Single Girl’s Cook-book

1969

As much as I loathe reading Brown’s prose, I was on a hunt through my collection for “meals on a budget” that did not involve meatloaf.  Desperate times, desperate measures and I find myself back with Brown who has a chapter called “The Cheapest Little Dinners on Earth.”

I decided to have my way with this “recipe” and really develop it for a 2009 table.  Brown calls for four large potatoes, sliced thin and layered in a buttered casserole with two sliced onions (raw).  Flour, salt and pepper are sprinkled between the layers.  One and half cups of milk are poured over and then four large pork chops, browned in their own fat, get placed on top.  There is no reference to an oven temperature or cooking time all it says at this point is: “Cover and set aside until one hour before dinner.”  Curious.

I started by infusing the milk with a branch of thyme, a crushed garlic clove and a bay leaf, bringing it to a boil and setting it aside while I did the rest of the prep.  I took those two onions, added another one, sliced them thinly and caramelized them slowly with butter, a pinch of sugar and some chopped thyme.  Then I layered the sliced potatoes with the flour, salt and pepper and my caramelized onions and poured the herb-infused milk over the top.  Because these days our nearly-fat-free pork will take less time to cook then a pot full of potatoes, I stuck the casserole in a 350 degree oven.  Meanwhile, I brined my pork chops in a standard brine of 3 Tbl kosher salt, 2 Tbl sugar.  After the potatoes had cooked for 45 minutes I browned the pork chops on the stove top, stuck them on top and raised the temperature to 400 degrees. Another 15 minutes and we were good to go.

It’s not a bad idea - the pork lends a nice flavor to the potatoes.  I wouldn’t called The Cheapest Little Meal on Earth  - good pork is still pricey - but I appreciate Brown’s effort.