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| Moist, flavorful and no frying needed. |
Oh, humble pork chop, how many ways do we love you? Braised. Seared. Fried. Barbecued. Stuffed. Sauerkraut. Apples. Onion.
Who doesn't savor a pork chop cooked/baked to perfection? Oh, my grandfather just loved them. I wish he were alive today so I could serve him some of my favorite ways to prepare them which he never realized.
This recipe is a delight. It's inspiration was a You Tube video of chef who smeared a pork chop with mayonnaise and then breaded it. GENIUS! Why didn't I think of that? The mayo held the breading with confidence.
Mayo is nothing more than oil whipped into egg ... Much, much lighter than, say, dunking a chop into a gooey, gloppy, raw egg mixture ...
But ....
Why stop there?
Hello .... bottled, salad dressings .... which are basically the same concept as any mayonnaise: oil and egg, with the addition of flavorings. Correct?
I just happened to have a jar of Marie's-brand Parmesan/Ranch dressing in my fridge given to me as a sample by reps of that company for the produce department in which I work. I settled on that for my experiment.
I've made this several times now. And, honestly, I really, and truly, love these pork chops. They are moist because of the "dressing" but not soggy because of the Panko bread crumbs. They are not fried. Instead the bake on a rack in a shallow pan so heat is evenly distributed for perfect roasting.
I baked these in my Breville-brand convection oven on a "roast" cycle. Even so, the last few minutes or so, I turn it up to "broil" just give a bit of crispier top....
(((( As an aside: my fav. kind of pork chop is always and has always been a rib chop. They are non-existant where I live in the South. Instead, I used two "thick-cut" loin chops .... at least one-inch thick .... for a total weight of about 1.4 pounds. Unfortunately .. most of the fat had been "trimmed" away .... for 'our' safety .... LOL .... ))))
- 2, thick-cut, bone-in pork chops
- Parmesan/Ranch Dressing (or something similar) or just mayonnaise
- 6 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs
- 2-3 tablespoons grated Parmesan/Romano cheese (from a can is just fine!)
- 3 tablespoons plain, dried bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon whole, rubbed sage
- 1/2 to one-teaspoon dried, whole thyme
- Seasoned salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
Using a damp cloth or squeezed-out wad of paper towel ... wipe the pork chops ... Usually, they contain bits of bone, etc.
Mix all dried ingredients on a sheet of wax paper.
Coat/brush chops with dressing ....
Now roll them and pat them in dried ingredients.... Use dried herbs ... to your preference.
Lightly spritz the chops with a spray of PAM. Place breaded chops on a wire rack inside a shallow pan. This rack is important, so don't omit.
Bake/roast chops for about 40 minutes without turning. Ideally, you want an internal temperature of 160-170 F degrees. If you want the top a bit crunchier, place under broiler for just a minute or two never taking your eyes off the chops since they can easily burn.
Allow chops to rest 10-15 minutes before serving.
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| .... The star of the show .... |
