Pork Chops Made Hella Easy

Here's the deal with pork chops: They don't have a lot of flavor unless they're riddled with fat, and they're hard to cook all the way without drying them out. Well, my friends, those days are over. Here's a super easy, fast and fancy-looking way to do it:

Pork Chops Crusted with Buerre Pain

("Buerre Pain is the French term for "buttered bread")

1 shallot

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 C. panko (white Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil

4 boneless pork chops, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick

2/3 C. beef broth

1/2 C. red wine

Preheat the oven to 500.

Peel and chop the shallot. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, microwave the butter. Add the panko and half of the salt and pepper. Set aside.

Pour about two tablespoons of olive oil into a large skillet and heat to high. Coat the pork chops in the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper.

When the pan is hot but not smoking, add the pork chops. Cook for three minutes on each side and transfer to a large baking dish. Cover each with a layer of buttered panko, and cook in the oven for ten minutes, or until a thermometer reads 130. (I know, the Pork Council and others in the food safety business will tell you to cook them until they're at 160, but you'll just have lumps of sawdust for your dining pleasure. I live life dangerously and take them out at 130, or until they're barely pink inside. It tastes way better, and the way pork is produced nowadays, there shouldn't be any sort of problem.)

With the pan still on medium-high heat, add the shallots to the pan and cook until wilted, about two minutes. Pour in the wine and scrape the pan continuously for about a minute. Add the broth and cook on high while the pork chops continue to cook.

The liquid should have reduced to a nice little sauce. Pour some in a pool on the plate, and carefully place a pork chop in the center. Voila! Fancy-pants pork chops! You're welcome.