Teach cooking

Stuffed Standing Pork Chops

Pork chops stood on end and stuffed with homemade sausage stuffing. Easy to make and impressive enough to serve to guests.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces pork breakfast sausage roll (like Jones )
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• coarse salt and fresh black pepper
• 1/2 of a (14 ounce) package herb seasoned stuffing (like Pepperidge Farm )
• 1 (14 ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon melted butter, plus more for greasing pan
• 4 - 8 *pork chops (I use thin center-cut)
• 3 or 4 skewers

Instructions

1.     Set a large skillet over medium heat and brown the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks into small crumbles. Once it's cooked remove to a large mixing bowl. If there's a lot of grease drain some of it off leaving about a tablespoon in the pan.
2.     Add the onion and celery, season with salt and pepper and cook until tender, stirring often. Add it to the bowl with the sausage. Add the stuffing to the bowl and mix it with the sausage, onion and celery.
3.     Pour the can of chicken broth over it and mix well. Drizzle the butter over it and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic and let sit 5 - 10 minutes. Taste the stuffing and season with salt and pepper if needed.
4.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and grease the bottom of a large roasting pan.
5.     Lay two of the chops on the bottom of the pan and then press a layer of stuffing over top of each one. Stand one of the pork chops up on its flattest end and place the other one right up against it. Repeat until all the chops are used. Stick the skewers through them to hold them together.
6.     Pack the stuffing into all the nooks and crannies then pile whatever is left around the base of the chops.
7.     Cover loosely with aluminum foil for about the first 30 minutes - bake 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes depending on the thickness of your chops and how many you are using. Check one of the chops in the middle with a meat thermometer for doneness. Look for an internal temperature of 145 (for medium rare), 160 for medium and 170 for well done.
8.     Let rest 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

    *You can use any type of pork chop you like including boneless, if using the thick ones you will need to cook them longer.
    You can mix 1 chopped apple or pear into the stuffing and/or a handful or two of dried or fresh cranberries.