Name: Baked Pork Chops with Parmesan-Sage Crust
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 (5-ounce) box Melba toast, broken into rough pieces (see note); 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaf; Salt and pepper; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon grated zest and 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon; 4 bone-in pork rib chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick

Why This Recipe Works

Center-cut, bone-in pork chops worked best in our recipe for Baked Pork Chops with Parmesan-Sage Crust. The bone added valuable flavor to the meat and prevented it from drying out. We added even more flavor by incorporating grated Parmesan, mayonnaise, chopped fresh sage, salt, and pepper into the crumb coating. Instead of using water to adhere the crumbs to the meat, which inevitably delivered soggy crumbs, we use mayonnaise—with a bit of Dijon mustard for a kick and lemon juice and zest for brightness—to “glue" the bread crumb mixture to the pork.

Before You Begin

Adding 2 tablespoons mayonnaise to the crumb coating gives these baked chops a pan-fried crunch, minus the mess.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pulse Melba toast pieces, Parmesan, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, sage, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper in food processor until coarsely ground; transfer to shallow dish. Whisk remaining mayonnaise, mustard, lemon zest, and lemon juice in another shallow dish.

Cover pork chops with mayonnaise and mustard mixture. One at a time, dredge chops in Melba crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer chops to wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden brown and meat registers 145 degrees, 16 to 22 minutes. Serve.