Hall of Fame. Seriously! It's been killing me that it's taken so long for me to post this after making it and enjoying it so much. Posting delicious dishes sort of seals the deal for me; makes it official. Will life slow down? No. It just speeds up and gets more complicated. That's okay if you can slow down long enough to enjoy a dish like this. Thanks, Erin, for the great recipe!
stuffed pork chops with butternut squash and figs (my friend Erin K found it at
skinnytaste, slightly adapted)
3 thick boneless pork chops
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups diced butternut squash, 1/2-inch diced (I used 1/2 package from Trader Joe's)
5 black mission figs, chopped (I picked out 5 from bulk foods section)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup baby spinach
3 fresh sage leaves, chopped (next time I'll add a few more)
1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper
cooking twine
cooking spray
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add squash and 2 tablespoons water and cover; cook on low for 10 minutes. Remove lid and add figs, garlic, spinach, salt, sage and pepper and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Cut a pocket into the sides of the pork chops, careful not to cut all the way through at the ends. Season the inside and outside of the pork with salt.
Stuff each with about 3/4 cup of squash mixture. Cut cooking twine long enough to tie each with twine. Cut off extra twine.
Preheat oven to 375. In the skillet over medium-high heat, carefully sear each pork chop on each side- 3 sides. If your skillet is oven-safe, cover with foil and place in the center of the oven. If not then transfer to baking dish and cover with foil. Place skillet or baking dish directly into the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes. Allow to sit 5 minutes before cutting off twine. Enjoy!
