Cherry and Apple Giant Stuffed Pork Chops
- 3 bone-in, thick cut pork chops
- 1 sweet potato or yam, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 apple, cored and diced
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- ½ cup red cherries, seeded and cut in half (I used frozen sine they are not in season)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tablespoons bacon fat
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to 405 degrees.
- Cut sweet potato in half lengthwise, and place cut side down onto a baking sheet.
- Bake sweet potato for 20-25 minutes until completely soft. Once you pull the sweet potatoes out, turn oven down to 375 degrees. Let sweet potatoes cool, then remove the sweet potato from the skin and mash with a fork in the a bowl.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat, then toss 2 garlic cloves. Once garlic becomes fragrant, add in the apple and onion.
- When onion becomes translucent, add in halved cherries, apples, along with the mashed sweet potato, cinnamon, garlic powder, ground cloves, and a bit of salt and pepper. Mix well until you have a big mess of goodness. Place goodness in a separate bowl and keep skillet over medium-high heat.
- Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops, then take a knife to cut the meat side of the pork chop, trying to create a pocket. Imagine you are cutting a pita pocket to stuff it with goodness, same thing with the pork chop. Use your knife to dig as deep as you can in the middle of the pork chop, making sure not to cut fully through it.
- Stuff each pork chop with the sweet potato mash.
- Add 2 more tablespoons of bacon fat to the pan, then add the pork chops (making sure not to crowd the pan).
- Sear pork chops on both sides for 4-5 minutes, turning them carefully so all the goodness doesn’t fall out.
- After the pork chops are seared on both sides, place directly in the oven and baking for 6-8 minutes, until completely cooked through.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
- Eat up buttercup.