Description
This is a meal we love to have on one of
those classic crisp fall days -- the kind that makes you want to put on a
sweater and tuck into a dish that is truly comforting. We like to use pork loin
(not the tenderloin) because the layer of fat (I know...) gets nice and crispy
and sinfully flavorful. The root veggies caramelize, too, giving the whole dish
great depth of flavor.
Ingredients
At a glance
Region
Main Ingredient
Cooking Method
Difficulty
Ingredients:
1.5 lb pork loin (the kind with the fat layer...although pork tenderloin can be substituted)
Fall veggies, peeled & cut to 2" dice
3 yellow beets (red are ok, too, but tend to color the dish a hue of red)
3 carrots
1 fennel bulb
2 parsnips
3 leeks
3 yellow onions
2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 cup fresh apple cider
1 cup dry white wine (we used a dry Chenin Blanc from the Loire)
2 Tbsp local cranberry preserves
salt & pepper
olive oil
4 Tbsp butter
Methods/steps
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Put all diced veggies in a bowl and coat with a couple tbsp of olive oil along with salt and pepper to taste.
Season pork loin with salt, pepper and chopped rosemary, then drizzle with olive oil to coat.
Heat large saute or roasting pan and sear pork, fat side first, until golden, for about 4 minutes. Flip and sear other side for approximately 2 minutes. Remove pork from pan and add vegetables; cook for about 3 minutes until they start to sweat and just start to caramelize. Add pork back to pan and add sprigs of rosemary and thyme to pan.
Roast in 375 oven for approx 40 minutes or until pork reaches an internal temp of 155 degrees. (Use a meat thermometer as ovens vary.) Take pork and veggies out of pan, cover with foil and set aside. Add wine to pan and deglaze, then add cider and preserves. Continue to deglaze and bring to a boil. Add approximately 4 Tbsp butter at end to richen sauce. As sauce simmers, slice pork and serve with veggies—spoon reduced sauce over top.
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Additional Tips
Tracy’s Wine Recommendation: One of our all-time favorite wines was the pick here; a well structured yet smooth and easy drinking merlot. A wonderful pair with the caramelized veggies, especially. Try: 2003 Clos la Chance Hummingbird series Merlot (California) $19.99.