Friday, January 29, 2016

FF: Crunchy Pork Chops



Even though we have a pretty diverse list of family favorites, I was feeling bored when I sat down, last Sunday to form my two week grocery list. I dusted off The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (the only cookbook I kept when we moved) and decided to make 14 new meals, that we hadn't tried. We're about five in and would you believe that EVERY new recipe was a huge score for the family!?! That makes me excited for the rest of next weeks' dinners!

Again, there was no thought to a picture...but you'll have to trust me on this. The boys told me this was the best "chicken" they had ever had!

FF: Crunchy Pork Chops
Serves 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes

1 5oz box of Melba toast broken into rough pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp sugar
6 TBSP mayonnaise
4 6oz boneless rib pork chops, 3/4 - 1 inch thick

Put your oven rack in the middle position and heat to 425 degrees. Place the Melba toast, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried thyme, and sugar in a large zipper-lock bag. Get your days worth of frustration out and pound the Melba toast until you have coarse crumbs the size of small pebbles.

Add 2 TBSP of mayo to the bag and work it into the crumb mixture. Transfer your mixture to a shallow dish.

Working with 1 chop at a time, coat with about 1 TBSP of mayo, using your fingers (it's totally gross), and then roll it into your crumb mix. Press the breadcrumbs into the pork chop to make sure they adhere. If you want gooey-bottomed pork chops, you can lay them right on a baking stone/sheet. If you want them to be crispier, put a wire-rack in your baking sheet, and put the chops on top. I didn't want to mess with the rack, so I just laid them on a baking stone.

Cook them until the outside is golden brown. 22-25 minutes. For best results let them sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting into them.

I made warm apples to go with the pork chops. I just threw 8 apples into my dutch oven with 1/2 cup of water and a sprinkle of cinnamon for about 20 minutes.

I received rave reviews from the critics and made a note to double the recipe next time!




10 comments:

  1. This sounds yummy!!!! Question- can you taste/ tell there is mayo in this? I have picky hubby who doesn't like mayo (sour cream, salad dressings, yogurt etc...). I'm trying to figure out if this is one of those dishes I can fix without him knowing what's in it- lol!! Thank you!!
    Also will you be sharing the other recipes that were hits this week? I NEED some new meals! THANKS and have a blessed day!

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    1. I actually don't like Mayo either. You can't tell! The ATK calls for it because it sticks really nice to the chicken and gives the breading better flavor.

      I will post the other recipes!!

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    2. I actually don't like Mayo either. You can't tell! The ATK calls for it because it sticks really nice to the chicken and gives the breading better flavor.

      I will post the other recipes!!

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    3. We tried this last night, and it was a hit!!!! Everyone tried it; my son ate 2 porkchops😳; my husband loved it; my two littles are it and even my very very picky daughter tried it, liked the breading but not the texture of the porkchops. Win in my book, thank you for sharing!

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    4. I love that the kids rate the meals. How fun.
      Your cornbread was a perfect 10!

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  2. Made this over the weekend for dinner. Clean plates all around, even my little girl who doesn't like meat.

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  3. Hi! How long should these be cooked for? It says cook time 40 minutes but then the recipe says 22-25 minutes. They sound very tasty! Thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. I only cooked mine for about 25 minutes and they were probably 3/4 inch thick. I hope that helps!

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