Like everywhere else in my life, in the kitchen I’ve had successes and failures. And, while I generally cook tasty meals, the one I made for our friends this past Sunday was out of control with deliciousness and seasonality. You see, last week the very first signs of Fall suddenly blew through New York in the form of gusty rain storms and chilly air. I was in the midst of planning a menu for a small dinner party and my perspective immediately switched from fresh stone fruits, fish and crisp vegetables to stewed beans, a pork roast and, as I wrote about yesterday, Molasses Spice Cake.
Today, I’ll cover the pork roast and then tomorrow, I’ll let you in on the stewed beans. Add a green salad to this week’s posts and you’ll have everything you need for a dinner party that serves six. This also makes an incredible family meal. Baby girl, who isn’t keen on meat was all over the pork eating it like, well, a little piggy-pie.
Roasted Pork Loin with a Garlic and Herb Crust
(If you can find it, I highly recommend a center cut pork loin with the bones cut away and reattached with string. The bones provide a great juice and flavor and you won’t have to deal with them when serving. Plus, the hubby discovered that the bones were like herb crusted spare ribs and he made a meal of them the next day!)
What You’ll Need:
4 pound center cut pork loin
1 head of garlic separated into cloves and sliced
5-8 sprigs of sage with stems discarded
5-8 sprigs of rosemary with stems discarded
1/4 cup olive oil
salt to taste
4 Paula Red apples cored and sliced
4 large onions skinned and cut into quarters
Two and a half hours before you plan to eat, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the pork roast, pat dry and place in a roasting pan. Salt it generously.
After 45 minutes, take it out and insert a heat proof digital thermometer if you have it (these are great because you can insert it and leave it while it cooks). Add the apples and onions and cook the pork for another hour or until a thermometer reads 170 degrees. Take out the pork and let it rest for 15 minutes. Test the apples and onions and if you’d like them softer, return them to the oven for 10-15 more minutes.
To serve, place tomorrow’s stewed beans on a platter and layer half inch slices of pork overtop. Or, if you aren’t making the beans, put the apples and onions on the platter and layer the pork on that. Either way, this roast is going to blow your mind.
Approximate Dinner Cost
• Groceries - $28.00
• Leftovers – Expect 6 meals at $4.66 per serving!
In a food processor, puree the garlic, rosemary, sage and olive oil. With a small spatula spread it over the pork roast covering as much of the pork as possible. Put the pork in the oven.