Oven Smothered Pork Chops

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat melt butter; stir in the 2 tablespoons flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until lightly browned. Stir in broth and sage, mix well, remove from heat, and set aside. This mixture will be the sauce for your chops.

Add salt and pepper to the 1 cup flour; dredge chops in mixture. In a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1/4 cup of the lard. Add chops and cook until browned. If there are too many chops to fit into skillet at one time, work in stages or use two skillets. Transfer browned chops to a large, ovenproof casserole with a cover.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

If needed, add remaining lard to skillet over high heat. Add onions, garlic, and celery; lower heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently to avoid burning, until onions are golden (8 to 10 minutes). Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon and place over chops in casserole.

Pour off all lard from skillet. Add reserved sauce, raise heat to high, bring to a boil,! and cook for 1 minute, stirring vigorously and scraping bottom of skillet. Pour sauce over chops in casserole, cover, and bake 30 minutes.