Monday, January 03, 2011

Stuffed Pork Loin Chops & Mashed Potatoes

This meal kind of came together at the very last minute.  I was originally trying to create a baked pork loin chop with asparagus and a cherry reduction, but with cherries not being in season, instead I ended up with these pork loin chops stuffed with Stove Top stuffing over mashed potatoes and seasoned gravy.  Due to time constraints and a hungry fiancee, the boxed stuffing was a quick pick for the flavor profile I was going for!  

You Will Need

4 boneless pork loin chops; preferably thinly slice chops
1 box Stove Top Stuffing 
(any flavor, I used their Cornbread Stuffing)
1 can roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup
2 pounds russet potatoes; washed, peeled, diced
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of flour
1 teaspoon sage / thyme / salt / black pepper
3/4 cup of chicken cooking stock

- Preheat oven to 325 degrees

-  Follow the instructions on the Stove Top box to make the stuffing and prep pork chops while the stuffing cooks.

- Lay your pork chops out on a cutting board and make slits vertically and diagonally, not cutting all the way through the loin.

- Season each side with sage, thyme, salt, and black pepper, working it into the slits

- Remove the stuffing from the heat and transfer it into a mixing bowl and allow to cool

- Add 2 tablespoons of the roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup to the stuffing

- Mix thoroughly

- Start filling your pork chops by scooping out a small round of stuffing and filling the slices you made earlier

(photo colors are off due to it being an iPhone camera, sorry!)

- Add chops to foil lined pan on a flat roasting rack so the chops cook evenly on all sides

- Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chops or until the inner temperature is over 145 degrees.

- Plate directly on to a dollop of mashed potatoes and garnish with seasoned gravy!  Enjoy!

Mashed Potatoes

- Fill a large pot with water and set aside

- Wash and peel all potatoes

- Cube and place potatoes into lightly salted water and set to boil on the stove top

- Once the potatoes are EXTREMELY tender, pull from heat and drain using a colander

- Place the potatoes back into the cooking pot

- Mash potatoes using a potato masher, if you do not have one a strong whisk should work just fine

- Add heavy whipping cream or milk to the mashed potatoes mixing as you add

- Whisk briskly and add cream/milk until the desired texture is achieved! 

- I season my potatoes with lots of butter and Lawry's Seasoning Salt...So wonderfully yummy!!!

Seasoned Gravy

- Melt about a 1/4 cup of butter in a medium sauce pan

- Be careful not to burn the butter.  As the butter starts to foam, slowly add the flour and mix with a whisk as you add.  You're making a basic butter and flour rue, here is a link for another recipe for a rue using olive oil and butter.

- Once your rue is cooked and there is no longer any white color, start adding your cooking stock, slowly whisking it into the rue.

- Add salt, black pepper and very little ground sage 

- Add enough stock so the rue turns into a liquid a little bit thinner than a normal gravy consistency.

- Bring to a boil and turn heat down to low, mixing occasionally.

- Spoon over plated chop and potatoes 



No comments:

Post a Comment