Pork Chops With Herb Pesto For Two Recipes

POTATO-CRUSTED PORK CHOPS WITH PESTO SAUCE

Steps:

• Prepare the pork: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pulse the herbs, garlic, lemon zest and potato chips in a food processor until coarsely ground. Transfer to a shallow dish.
• Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the pork, fat-side down, and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes; remove from the skillet. Brush the pork all over with the mustard, then roll in the chip mixture. Place on a rack in a roasting pan and roast until a thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers about 150 degrees F, 50 to 60 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before slicing into chops.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Whisk the sour cream, mayonnaise, pesto, herbs and lemon juice in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Top with the tomato. Serve the chops with the sauce.

PORK CHOP DINNER FOR TWO

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown pork chops in oil. Place in a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Layer potatoes, onion and carrot over chops. Dot with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. , Cover and bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until pork chops and vegetables are tender.

HERB-STUFFED PORK CHOPS FOR TWO

Steps:

• In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.
• If the butcher didn't make the pocket in the chop for you - with a small knife, make a horizontal slit in each pork chop to create a pocket. Be careful not to cut all the way through.
• Fill each pocket with 1/2 of the cheese and basil.
• Brush each chop with olive oil and rub the rosemary mixture all over both chops.
• Heat a grill pan or heavy medium skillet over medium high heat until hot.
• Add the pork chops and cook for 5-6 minute.
• Turn the chops over and cook for 5-6 min more, or until the chops are cooked through and the cheese is ooooey and goooey.

PORK CHOPS WITH ROASTED KALE AND WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Strip the kale leaves from the tough stems and discard the stems. Toss the leaves on a rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and spread them out in an even layer. Broil the greens, stirring once or twice until they turn a brighter green with bits of charred leaves, about 4 minutes. Stir in the walnuts and broil until the walnuts are fragrant but not burned, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool. Sprinkle both sides of the chops with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the rosemary. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145 degrees F, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. While the chops are cooking, pulse the garlic and the cooled kale and walnuts in a food processor until chopped. Add the pepper flakes, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil and continue to process to make a slightly chunky pesto. Adjust the consistency as desired with up to 1/4 cup water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top each pork chop with about 2 tablespoons of the pesto and serve with a baked potato or soft polenta.

PESTO-COATED CENTER-CUT PORK CHOP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 of the pesto over into the bottom of the baking dish.
• Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add olive oil.
• Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Cook pork chops in the hot oil until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer pork chops to baking dish and top each with remaining pesto. Season with red pepper flakes. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), about 1 1/2 hours. Allow pork chops to rest for 10 minutes.

BREADED PESTO PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375.
• Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Mix breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in medium size bowl or plate large enough to dredge chops into.
• Pat pork chops dry with paper towel. Season each side with salt and pepper.
• Coat Pork Chops with the pesto. Should be an even and thin layer of pesto on each side.
• Dredge pork chops into breadcrumb/parmesan cheese mixture. Coat both sides and all around.
• Place chops onto greased baking sheet. Lightly spray chops with cooking spray to get a crunchy outside.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes. The chops will continue to cook for another 5 minutes max while cooling down. This will prevent the chops from being dry!

PESTO PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Put flour, salt and pepper on a plate and combine.
• Dredge both sides of pork chops in flour, and shake off any excess.
• Spray a skillet with the cooking spray and preheat on medium-high.
• Add the chops and brown on each side for two minutes.
• After they are browned, spread the pesto sauce over the chops and put lid on the skillet.
• Continue cooking for an additional two minutes or until they reach 160 degrees.
• The chops will be juicy and not dried out.
• Enjoy!