A Hungry Bear

I know I’ve shared a stuffed pork chop with you before. And since this was stuffed with prosciutto and fontina too, I know I’m veering into dangerous repeat-post territory. But do you see that picture? How could you not want to know exactly how to make that crispy prosciutto crust, with gooey fontina on the inside, with that salty lemon and crispy sage butter sauce?! I can’t keep this kind of goodness to myself.

Adapted from August 2009 Gourmet.

Grocery list: olive oil, 1 lemon, bone-in pork chops (2, 3 or 4 - adjust the following ingredients based on how many chops you need to make); per chop, you’ll also need 2 slices prosciutto, 2 sage leaves, 2 thin slices fontina cheese and 1 tablespoon of butter.

First, get all the ingredients ready. Thinly slice enough fontina so that each pork chop gets 1-2 small slices. Mince the sage leaves, and lay out some prosciutto. You want one thin slice, as intact as possible, for each pork chop. An extra half a piece or so per chop is needed for stuffing as well.

To stuff pork chops, you have to first make a cavity. Using the most pointy knife you have, cut through the chop from the outside towards the bone.

Work the knife around to cut as large of a cavity in the middle of the chop as you can, all while trying to keep the opening from getting too big.

Set a generous pinch of the minced sage aside to finish the sauce with. The rest, divide between the pork chops and stuff in the opening. Follow with 1-2 pieces of fontina (stuff the cheese as far down as you can).  Finish with just a little extra prosciutto, so there’s some salt on the inside of the meat when it’s cooking.  I used a half slice of prosciutto per chop for stuffing.

Wrap a slice of prosciutto around the pork chop, being sure to cover the opening. This will keep the melted cheese on the inside of the chop, where it belongs. Prosciutto is fairly sticky, so you can stick the ends together or tuck behind the bone. When it cooks it will stay together.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in an iron or heavy oven-proof skillet. When it shimmers, add the pork chops.

Cook the chops for 4-5 minutes, then flip them over. Place in the oven and roast for about 10 minutes.

While the chops are cooking, juice one lemon and strain out the seeds.

Remove the pan from the oven and set the chops on a plate to rest. Be careful because the handle will be really hot! Set over medium heat. Immediately stir in the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of butter per chop, plus the reserved sage. Stir until the butter is melted, then turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the chops to serve. I made a side of braised greens with roasted onion rings (the onion rings could roast while the pork chops were finishing in the oven).