crunchy baked porkchops

I don’t know what has happened to me this year but I have barely eaten meat. I can count on my fingers the times I have committed carnivorous acts this year — which is strange since I grew up eating meat and vegetables religiously every dinner. Cooking seasonally has made me forget my once standard view of a meat and potatoes dinner and has me fixated on peaches and blueberries, eggplant, and  plums.

As the summer market has faded and the fall brings in squashes and collards, which will be staring back at us for months (groan) before anything new and shiny comes in it’s stead, it seemed the perfect time to go back to the…what do you call it? Oh, yes the butcher…

I got two thick steak-like pork chops and decided to go back to that once upon a time standard meal taken southern — they like to fry things right? Well, actually these aren’t fried. They are submerged in a dijon-egg mixture then coated in roasty toasty breadcrumbs taken up a few notches with shallots, garlic, parsley and parmesan, which happens to be ten times more flavorful than the bready batter most things are bathed in before hitting the deep fryer. Serve these chops with a helping of roasted garlic potatoes and you’ve got a date, except, hold the kissing please…

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Cooking for Two

Serves 2

CI notes: If the pork is enhanced (injected with a salt solution), do not brine. If brining the pork, omit the salt when seasoning the chops in step 3. Once breaded, the chops can be frozen for up to 1 week; bake frozen chops as directed (do not thaw), increasing the baking time to 35 to 40 minutes.

Table salt
2 boneless center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
2 slices high-quality white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoons)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
7 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 large egg whites
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges, for serving, optional

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350°F. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt in 1 quart water in medium container or gallon-sized zipper-lock bag. Submerge chops, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Rinse chops under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Pulse the bread in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 8 pulses. Toss the crumbs with the shallot, garlic, oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt, then spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the crumbs, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes. Let the crumbs cool to room temperature, then toss with the parmesan, parsley and thyme.

Place 1/4 cup of the flour in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, whisk egg whites, and mustard together until combined, then whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons flour until almost smooth, with just a few pea-sized lumps. Spread the prepared bread crumbs in a third shallow dish.

Increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Spray a wire rack with vegetable oil spray and place over a rimmed baking sheet. Oat the chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

Dredge the pork chops in the flour and shake off the excess. Coat the chops with the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip off. Coat all the sides of the chops with a thick layer of bread crumbs, pressing to help them adhere. Lay the breaded chops on the prepared wire rack.

Bake the chops until the centers register to 140°F to 145°F on an instant read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the chops from the oven and let rest on the rack until the centers register 150°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Roasted Garlic Potatoes

Serves 4

1 pound small red or white potatoes
2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
Olive oil
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Wash and dry potatoes. Dice into quarters or eights (bite sized) and place in bowl. Coat potatoes in olive oil, salt (to taste), garlic and parsley. Lightly oil a sheet pan and transfer the potatoes spreading them out into one layer. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip about every ten minutes with a spatula to ensure even cooking. Remove from oven, salt to taste with salt. Serve.