Baked Stuffed Pork Chops for Two

Adapted from The Professional Chef. 2 pork chops, 1 1/2" thick (mine are not that thick, but I was not keeping this recipe in mind when I cut them.) salt and pepper Cut a pocket (see picture below) in each chop. Season the chops with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until stuffing is prepared and cooled. Heat a few Tb of oil in a pan. Add: 1/2 onion, minced and cook until golden. Add: 1/2 stalk of celery, minced and cook until slightly wilted. Then add: 1 clove of garlic, minced and cook for just a minute, then remove from heat and refrigerate until cooled. Meanwhile, mix: 1 slice stale or toasted bread, cubed very small (you can use croutons for this, but why buy an extra ingredient is you have bread in the house, right?) 1 Tb chopped parsley 1 tsp rubbed sage When the onion mixture has cooled, add it to the bread mixture and add enough chicken stock to make a stuffing that is moist but not too wet. Heat the oven to 350 F. Carefully stuff the pork chops with the stuffing. Secure the chops with butchers twine or skewers. (I didn't secure them with anything, but some of the stuffing fell out.) Sear the chops on both sides on a large skillet in a few Tb of oil until browned; remove to a baking sheet and finish cooking in the oven until the chops (stuffing, too!) register 165F on a instant-read thermometer (about 15-20 minutes) While the chops are cooking, you can make a sauce by pouring off most of the fat from the pan used to sear the chops, deglazing with a splash of wine (I used vermouth), and adding some demiglace or reduced stock (I used the saved drippings from the chicken I cooked the other night), and some dijon mustard if you like. Skim the fat off the sauce and serve over the chops.