Stuffed Pork Chops

After finishing our four-day professional development class, Jeff and I decided to celebrate with a nice dinner of stuffed pork chops and baked sweet potatoes. This tasty meal really hit the spot and was a perfect companion to a couple of pre-dinner cocktails as well as excellent preparation for post-dinner family time.

I began by finely chopping a quarter of a large red onion and about three quarters of a package of fresh mushrooms. These were then sauteed in a little olive oil until the mushrooms reduced and the onion was tender. Next, I created a pocket in the side of five pork loin chops (which were on sale last week) and filled them with the chopped onions and mushrooms. (I used several toothpicks to hold the sides closed after filling.) After a liberal dose of freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, these went on the grill over medium heat until they were barely pink inside and had lovely grill marks on the outside.

While Jeff monitored the pork chops, I scrubbed a couple of sweet potatoes, pricked them with a fork, and tossed them in the microwave for about five minutes. (I realize this is cheating, but they tasted just as good as if they had been in the oven for half an hour.) When they came out, I sliced them in half and let them rest on a serving plate. Just when the pork chops were coming off the grill I put them back in the microwave for another minute to ensure they were piping hot. We then ate them with butter and black pepper. (Yum!)

When the pork chops came off the fire we let them rest for a couple of minutes to redistribute the juices, and we were not disappointed. This made a lovely dish with gorgeous grill color as well as succulent flavor coupled with a moist, tender texture. The stuffing made them seem extra special and decadent, but was super easy. They were so good, we both wanted another one, but decided to split one so we wouldn't be over-stuffed. The sweet potatoes were a perfect complement to the meat, soft and sweet with the of spunky pepper. Overall, this was an easy, pretty fast meal that tasted like someone slaved in the kitchen but left plenty of time for a dvd with the family.