Cuban pork 'sandwich'

My husband is a pig lover.  I hope that is not a reflection on me, but the boy loves all things pig.  Sometimes we would think back on the last 7-10 days and realize he hadn't gone a single day without some pork product.  Those vacations in islamic Turkey were the only times I can recall him going without the other white meat.  I myself love a good pork chop and was trolling the internet for a new way of doing pork when I came across a Bobby Flay recipe for cuban pork.  I adapted the recipe, taking out all the oil (totally unnecessary) and substituting a single pepper jack cheese slice where it calls for 2 pieces of swiss.  The result was fantastic.

You start by juicing an orange and a lime with a bit of fresh oregano, dried cumin, and salt & pepper.  Butterfly your boneless pork chop so that it is thin, but still has a long hinge.  Put it in the marinade for a couple of hours.  When you're ready to make dinner, pat the pork dry with a paper towel, but leave some of the marinade on (e.g. the pulpy bits of orange and lime).  Put a single thin slice of ham, a layer of sliced cornichons or deli pickles, and a single layer of pepper jack in the inside of the pork chop and then close the chop so it looks like a sandwich.  Season the chop with some more salt and pepper and then grill it on your grill pan or outdoor bbq.  Tip - use medium heat or you'll end up burning the outside without cooking your pork through in the middle.  Resist the temptation to flip it too many times or you could lose your stuffing.  While it is grilling, juice another orange and lime and add some chopped fresh cilantro.  When the pork comes off the grill and you're ready to serve, pour on the orange-lime-cilantro mixture.

I served it with a side of mashed potatoes that I substituted lime juice and garlic for the usual milk & butter when I whipped them.  Not as tasty as milk & butter but easier on the calories.  And I made a salad dressing with some of the orange-lime-cilantro juice to match up on the side.

To continue the orange-lime theme, I took a bit more of the orange-lime juice mixture and added some seltzer and sprite zero muddled with mint and a tablespoon of rum for a mojito of sorts.  It may not have packed much alcoholic punch, but it gave the right flavors to make us feel like we were doing it right.

My little piggy husband says we'll be making this again for sure.

16 Weight watchers points -  9 for the big pork chop, 2 cheese, 1 ham, 3 potatoes, and 1 for a dash of rum.