Sooooooey! Here cutlet, cutlet, cutlet!

As if any pig recipe could possibly top that ham-cake I offered up at Easter time...

I've never been a big fan of pork (thatswhatshesaid), especially pork chops, but I found some cutlets on sale one day and there's nothing I like more than a deal. They could be selling marinated poo and I'd buy it if it was half off. That bargain pig parked itself in my freezer, and there it sat for months. I was flipping through one of the little magazine cookbooks that my mom always sends me, and found a picture of some pork cutlets that reminded me of and inspired me to visit my frostbitten pork. I was able to make these cutlets with a sick crying baby on one hip and a yipping 3yr old who wanted me to go on a rosebud hunt, whatever the hell that means, on my leg, and they were great. So go forth, and Eat That Pork! (and don't forget the side of innuendo!)

Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets (modified from Everyday Food, April 2008, which so far seems to be great cookbook)

1 1/2 Cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) (I found them sitting next to the regular breadcrumbs at my grocery store.)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (magazine recommends safflower, I used regular old vegetable oil)
4 boneless pork loin chops (buy thin cut and you won't have to pound them later)
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
coarse salt and ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425. On a rimmed baking sheet (line with Release foil, if you have it--if you don't have it, get some! It's great.), toss panko with oil. Bake, tossing once, until golden brown (cookbook says 7-10 minutes, but mine burned twice this way, so on batch three I did three minutes, stirred them, and then did two more minutes and it was perfect). Transfer to a medium bowl. (If you used Release foil, return it to the baking sheet--you can put the cutlets back on it to cook.) Reduce temp to 400.

(Now you're going to have to put your older kid on the porch and distract the clinging snot-nosed kid with a popsicle for a few minutes here.)

For suckers who didn't buy thin cut cutlets--One at a time, place chops between two large pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a small heavy pan, pound to made 1/4 inch-thick cutlets.

Dividing evenly, coat pork with mustard; season with salt and pepper. (I put the mustard on a plate and just added the pepper right to it--it was easy to coat the cutlets that way and I didn't have to hold up mustardy raw pork in order to add pepper to both sides. You can do the salt after the crumbs, if you want it.) One at a time, dip cutlets into panko, pressing firmly to adhere.

Place a rack on a rimmed baking sheet; place pork on rack, and bake, without turning until opaque throughout. (I didn't see the rack part until just now--putting them on the Release foil worked just fine. As for the time, the book says 10-15 minutes, but mine were definitely done in 9. I think pork is too often overcooked, and that's easy to do if the cutlets are thin.)

For sides I threw some sweet potatoes in the oven at 375 and then forgot about them for an hour, microwaved some green beans, and opened a jar of applesauce. (Just Barely the Youngest threw each one, in turn, on the floor. And then cried some more.)