Preparation

• Using your fingers, thoroughly mix the sage, fennel seeds, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a shallow baking dish or pie pan. Mix in the parsley. Coat the chops with the herbs as shown in the photo below. Stack the chops and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
• Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet set over medium-high heat. When the first wisp of smoke rises from the oil, use tongs to carefully set the chops in the pan in a single layer. (If you need to do this in batches, add more oil to the pan for the second batch and let it get hot.) Cook until the herbs on the bottom turn very deep brown, about 3 min. Turn the chops over and cook until the other side is deep brown and the pork is cooked through, about 3 min. To test for doneness, press with your finger; the meat should be firm. Or cut into a chop; the meat should be very light rosy pink and still juicy; it continues to cook slightly as it rests. Transfer the chops to a warm platter and let them rest in a warm place for 5 min. before serving.