Theodora FitzGibbon’s ‘stuffed’ pork chops.

As the single quotations hint, these chops are not in fact stuffed. Instead they wear a blanket of pureed onion, breadcrumbs and butter. Insulation of this sort is now necessary to prevent what has become a dangerously lean cut of meat from drying out. Mrs. FitzGibbon’s stratagem is equally exemplary in enhancing instead of obscuring the flavor of the chop.

4 sweet onions, peeled and sliced into filmy crescents
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
scant teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon seasoned flour (preferably Wondra)
about ½ cup warm milk
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons neutral oil
4 pork chops
pepper
4 Tablespoons breadcrumbs
another Tablespoon butter
minced parsley

Put the onions in a small pot with barely enough water to cover, bring it to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and keep the liquor.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the onions and sugar, reduce the heat to medium low (you do not want to brown the onions) and cook the onions until they threaten to melt away. Do not try to rush the process.
Turn off the heat, puree the onion with a hand mixer or food processor and put the puree back on the heat.
Stir in the flour, cook it for about a minute and dribble the milk into the pan followed by “enough of the onion liquor to make a thickish sauce.”
Season the sauce and stir in the cream.

Preheat the oven to 425°.

Set a heavy skillet on high heat. When it is extremely hot add the oil to coat it and sear the chops as briefly as possible on one side only until they just brown.
Put the chops seared side down in a roasting pan, smear them with the onion sauce, dust the breadcrumbs over the sauce and dot them wit the second tranche of butter.

Bake the chops until the topping crisps and browns, usually in about 15-20 minutes.
Sprinkle the chops with parsley and serve them up.

Notes:

-Mrs. FitzGibbon stews her onions in an additional Tablespoon of butter.

-She also removes the small shard of bone from each chop, a gesture of elegance.