Tuesday, November 3, 2009

"Nacho" Ordinary Pork Chops


Nacho Ordinary Pork Chops – get it? “Not Your” Ordinary Pork Chops?

I was going to leave the title without explanation but was afraid the written words didn’t translate. I *love* puns... but I’m betting you already knew that.

Back when I talked about Walking Tacos, I mentioned another recipe that uses Doritos. This is another of my house staples. It’s not veggie friendly, but the rest of us love it. And I’m going to explain how to make these without giving exact measurements, because I’ve never really measured anything, and they’ve always turned out just fine. So, bear with me and I’ll just explain the process…

Ingredients:
Pork chops
Dried Italian dressing mix
Mayonnaise
Regular sized bag of Cool Ranch Doritos (Not single serving. Not jumbo size.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Start with pork chops. I’ve used several different cuts and they’re all very good. I tend to like them best when they’re about one-half to three-quarters inch thick. I like to make six at a time because that’s how many fit best on my baking pan.

Scoop about three big spoonfuls (use your serving spoons here, not teaspoons) of mayonnaise onto a dinner plate. Add in about one-half of a single packet of dry Italian dressing until it’s pretty evenly mixed.

Crush the Doritos in the bag. You may want to open the bag and let air escape before you start crushing, to avoid a Dorito explosion. Once Doritos are crushed, put about half the contents on another dinner plate.

Cover each pork chop with mayo mixture. You can do this by smearing the mayo mix on with a knife, or you can “dip” the pork chops into the mayo filled dinner plate. That method results in some heavily coated chops, which is okay, but be aware you may then be required to refill the plate at pork chop #4.

Dip coated pork chop in crushed Doritos to coat. Be sure to fully coat *both* sides. At this point, you may be thinking it would be better to put the crushed chips in a Ziploc bag and coat them via “Shake n’ Bake,” but I find that to be way too messy and the inside of the bag catches too much of the mayo mixture. You will need to replenish the plate after pork chop #3. Your mileage may vary – so feel free to coat however you feel most comfortable. Once pork chop is coated, place on baking sheet. Follow with remaining chops.

Whenever you’re finished, take the crushed Doritos remaining on the plate and top off each pork chop. Use it all up.

Calorie/cholesterol alert: I put a small pat of butter atop each chop. I know it’s not the healthiest option, but I like the way it tastes.

Place the baking sheet in for about 25 minutes to 40 minutes. This really depends on how thick your chops are. When they start to bubble at the bottom (especially evident if you’ve used the butter), they’re probably done. Cut into one to check. If most of the pink is gone, you’re good. Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

These are addicting. Leftovers disappear very quickly. Even my vegetarian daughter misses them. Whenever we serve these, she asks me to make a cheese-Dorito mix for her to have instead.
I didn't include photos of the how-to, but I think you all understand the process. Taking pictures with my hands full of mayo and chips, and with pork chop juices just didn't seem like a good plan ;-)
Hope you try these. They're impossible to mess up, and extremely tasty!
Julie
My White House Chef Mystery series includes State of the Onion, Hail to the Chef, and Eggsecutive Orders (coming in January). All from Berkley Prime Crime.

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8 comments:

  1. This is Nacho weeknight recipe! :) This sounds like a winner for my family....they love Nachos and this is perfect! Thanks.

    Elizabeth
    Mystery Writing is Murder

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  2. Julie, I used to do this with corn flakes and my own spices instead of the dressing and forgot all about it these past few years. It's the mayo that makes the chops so moist! Now I've got to try it with the chips. Yum! BTW, love the "nacho" ordinary pork chops. I love puns, too. Cute!

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  3. Julie-

    You are Do(ing)rito by us with this recipe (get it? doing right?). Okay, BAD pun, but I love them, too! The dudes will love this! Thanks!

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  4. I've never thought of coating meat with flavored chips. I love the tip about opening the bag before crushing them. My son's 8 year old friends love to explode the single serving size bags. They were passed out as a school party treat once and it sounded like fireworks were going off in the classroom for a little while!

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  5. Jenn- LOL!! Good one.

    Hi MyLastBite - Great! You're going to love them!

    Glad you like the idea Elizabeth - after I checked my blog post today I started lamenting that I didn't have any pork chops in the freezer today. I could go for these tonight!

    Avery (Daryl) - corn flakes would be a cool idea. I'd love to know what sort of spices you used. Hmm.... you're giving me ideas.

    Janel, I can see a bunch of 8 year olds and their exploding chips. Too fun. A perfect "Walking Taco" opportunity - LOL - as long as you have a broom handy!

    Julie

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  6. You'll think I'm crazy but my husband and I have a good friend with the nickname "Paulie bag o' Fritos" because he LOVES Fritos. He got the name from bringing a bag of them to work with him for lunch every single day. I think he'd really love it if I made him this recipe...as long as I changed up the Cool Ranch Doritos for (you guessed it)!

    Cheers,
    ~ Cleo

    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    "Where coffee and crime are always brewing..."
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  7. I try not to buy Doritos -- because I eat them! Now I won't feel guilty about buying a bag because I know how to use the leftovers. Thanks, Julie!

    ~ Krista

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