Pork Chops Stuffed with Yams & Sausage 

 

1 yam, peeled and cubed

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons diced onion

¼ pound bulk pork breakfast sausage

Dash ground thyme

Salt and pepper

Dash Cayenne

1 tablespoon minced parsley

4 loin pork chops, 1 inch thick, with pockets for stuffing

3 tablespoons cooking oil

3 tablespoons Madeira

½ cup beef stock

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

 

1.      Bake the yam until tender (preferred); alternatively, bring 2 cups water to boil and add cubed yam. Boil 3 minutes until barely tender. Mash.

2.     Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet. Add onion, crumble sausage, and sauté 8 – 10 minutes, stirring constantly, sausage is lightly browned.

3.     Transfer the onion and sausage mixture to a bowl. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, Cayenne, and parsley.

4.     Preheat oven to 325°.

5.     Heat oil in the skillet and brown chops about 4 minutes per side. Transfer them to large plate and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

6.     Stuff pockets of pork chops until they are moderately full and close them with crisscrossed toothpicks. (If the chops are too thin to stuff, I place the mixture on top after step 7.)

7.     Pour off oil in skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of butter. Return chops to skillet and pout 1 tablespoon of Madeira over them. Cover and cook until meat is sizzling.

8.     Then set covered skillet in lower third of oven and cook 25 to 30 minutes.

9.     Remove skillet from oven. Arrange pork chops on platter and cover loosely with foil.

10.  Skim as much fat as possible from pan juices and discard fat. Return skillet to stove top, add beef stock, 2 tablespoons Madeira, and mustard, and boil rapidly over high heat, scraping bottom of skillet to incorporate all the browned bits into the sauce. Boil 2 to 3 minutes, or until sauce has reduced to about ½ cup. Spoon over chops and serve immediately.