"Oven-Fried" Pork Chops

I asked Andrew what he considered to be his favorite dish among the ones that make up my limited dinner repertoire, and he answered "'Oven-Fried' Pork Chops" with no hesitation. He then mentioned that he thinks we should have it at least once every other week. Seeing as how it's so easy & fast, I have no problem whatsoever with that! I found this recipe when I was scouring my BHG cookbook for dishes that fit my preparation requirements. As I alluded to before, here are my requirements for such a recipe:

1) Easy (novice chef alert!)

2) Can either be prepared in less than 30 minutes far ahead of time and refrigerated before being popped into the oven, or can be prepared right before eating in less than 30 minutes (so I can just make it once Andrew gets home at 6:45pm and takes over the "put the kid to bed" duties)

3) No weird vegetables (My 16th birthday present from my parents was to never have to eat vegetables again if I didn't want to.... I might die of scurvy, but that's something I'm willing to risk.)

4) No need to do a bunch of steps during the hour before serving (I'm busy feeding and changing Sonia during the 45 minutes before Andrew gets home, and I want us to eat within 30 minutes after he gets home)

I'm picky and demanding! Not a lot of recipes fit the bill.... But "Oven-Fried" Pork Chops does! Here is my adaptation of that recipe:

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 20 minutes
Oven: 425 degrees

Ingredients:

4 pork loin chops, cut 3/4 inch thick (these are pretty standard fare in most grocery stores)


2 Tbsp margarine or butter, melted
1 beaten egg
2 Tbsp milk (or heavy whipping cream or buttermilk)
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/4 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix, crushed


Tip: Make sure you have 1 1/4 cups of crushed stuffing-- not 1 1/4 cups of stuffing before you crush it. Also, if you have a mortar and pestle, bust that thing out to do the crushing (if not, use the bottom of a pot). I asked for the mortar & pestle in the picture for Christmas this year specifically because I make this recipe so much!

1) Pour margarine/butter into a 13x9x2-inch casserole dish. Combine egg, milk, and pepper. Dip chops into egg mixture and then coat with stuffing mix (be generous with the stuffing!) and place in dish on top of melted margarine/butter. Take any leftover crushed stuffing and dump it on top of the chops. You'll thank me later! Here's what it will look like before you stick the dish in the oven:


2) Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Quickly take dish out of oven, turn chops (use a fork or tongs), and put dish back in oven. Bake about 10 minute more or till no pink remains and juices run clear. Makes 4 servings, but only if you have substantial sides to serve with the pork chops. Here's the finished product:


We usually have either rice or barley as a side dish, and Andrew scoops out the burnt stuffing crunchies from the pan to dump them over the rice or barley. YUM!!!!