Baked Pork Chops, Saltimbocca Style
April 13, 2020 • Meat & Poultry
I love taking an ordinary plain ingredient and amping up the flavor. But as much as I love cooking, I don’t always have the time or enthusiasm for something lengthy and involved. This pork chop recipe is super simple – you can even have the chops ready to bake the day before, then just throw them in the oven when you get home from work. They cook quickly, which is another bonus for a weeknight. And this recipe is easily scaled for as many chops as you need. Editor’s Note: sorry for the crummy food photo – I was ready to dig in when I realized I had forgotten to take any pics and I quickly snapped this in the dark at the dining room table with my iPhone. No pretty garnish, no soft lighting, no nothing except for that enticing melted cheese oozing out of the front of the pork chop!
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 4 1-inch thick pork chops (I prefer bone in)
- Salt and pepper
- 8 thin slices of prosciutto
- 4 slices of provolone cheese
- 8 large fresh sage leaves
- Heat the oil and garlic in a skillet over medium high heat and when sizzling, add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumbs are toasted. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Use a paring knife to cut horizontally into the pork chops from the fat cap side, taking care not to cut all the way through (this is easier to do with bone in chops because the bone blocks the knife from pressing through to the other side.
- Season the chops on both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff each chop with a folded piece of prosciutto, a folded slice of cheese, 2 sage leaves, then a final folded piece of prosciutto. Press the pork together to seal the chop and transfer to a lined baking sheet.
- Spoon ¼ cup of the garlic bread crumbs on top of each chop then bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.