I’ve been making serious effort to make every single one of my meals at home. Not only is it healthier and cheaper – but the few minutes it takes me to prepare my own meal is a good way to unwind at the end of the day. But, there are those days that you get home late and you have to walk the dog and by the time you get to the kitchen the clock is reading closer to bedtime than dinner time. So a simple and quick recipe is in order… and when you are trying to reduce your wheat intake – toasting a slice of bread is not an option. This recipe is easy. In the time it takes your chops to sizzle, you can get a salad together and silverware on the table and pour a glass of wine.

Smoked Gouda Pork Chop (Kaprise Kitchen original)

• 2 boneless pork chops
• 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup of shredded smoked gouda
• 1/2 teaspoon of mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon of cracked black pepper

1. Set your broiler to high
2. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cheese, and mustard until smooth
3. Rinse and pat your pork chops dry. Sprinkle both sides of pepper.
4. Place the pork chops on the baking sheet
5. Smooth the cheese mixture evenly over the two pork chops.
6. Place the baking sheet on the lower shelf of your oven for about 30 minutes, or until the pork has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (see notes).
7. Once the minimum internal temperature has been reached, place the sheet on the higher shelf and allow the chops to brown just a bit more.
8. Serve over salad with a good white wine. I had mine with spinach salad and a glass of dry pinot gris.

Notes:

• Connie at OuiChefCook has an excellent post about mayonnaise and instructions on how to make your own here.
• You can substitute the cheese for other variations – I’ve only tried this with aged white cheddar and parmesan. Both work well, but if you try other cheese variations – let me know how it turns out!!
• Suggested internal temperature for meats can be be found here on the USDA website. They say “Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.”