Grilled Pork Chop with Triple Crème Baked Potato
Ingredients
4 Idaho/Russet potatoes
Cooking oil (olive, canola, macadamia, etc.)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup half and half
2 tablespoons butter, softened
6 strips bacon, cooked, crumbled
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
1 cup green peas
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste
Triple Crème Cheese
4 pork chops, cut 1 1/4-inch thick
Canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Steps
For the potatoes: (For a faster recipe, cook the potatoes in the microwave—10 minutes for 2 potatoes, 15 minutes for 4 potatoes—then finish in the oven to crisp the skins.)
Preheat oven to 400°.
After cleaning, pierce each potato with a fork several times, and then rub with oil.
lace on a baking sheet and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until soft when poked with a knife.
For the filling:
While potatoes are baking, cook and chop the bacon.
When the potatoes are done, cut the top 1/3rd off each potato lengthwise, and scoop out the insides, creating a “canoe”—place the insides in a bowl, and be sure to leave roughly a ¼ inch of potato attached to the skins.
Mix sour cream, half and half, and butter in with the potato insides and mash with a fork or potato masher. Fold in the remaining ingredients (including bacon bits). Then stuff the potato canoes with the filling and return to oven, this time at 350° for 15-20 minutes.
Top the freshly baked potatoes with long, thick slices of triple crème cheese and allow to melt in the oven for a minute or two.
For the pork chops:
Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat and add enough canola oil to coat.
Season the pork chops on all sides and place in the hot oil for 9-12 minutes per side, until evenly browned and—if you have a meat thermometer, check for an internal temperature of 140°. Remove from pan and allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.
