Herb-Roasted Pork Loin

Oh my, this is pure deliciousness.  It is a shame I made for Lovey and myself alone.  I shouldn’t have been so selfish.  This needs to be shared.  I did not half this recipe and 4 pounds of pork loin is a lot of meat.  It sure made for a ton of wonderful leftovers. 

I can’t tell what magazine the clipping came from but I’d love to share it with you.

Here’s what we’re working with today.   Please don't judge me for having spiders on the island.  It was October when I made this.  I think it would make a great Christmas Day dinner.

Pat the pork dry and season it with salt and pepper. 

Straddle a flame proof roasting pan over two burners, then heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers.  Brown pork on all sides, then transfer to a large plate.

Put a metal rack in the pan and place half of the herbs down the middle of the rack.

Smear the shallot-mustard mixture over the top and sides of the roast.

Place the roast, fat side up, on top of the herbs.

Roast for 1 hour.

Place the remaining herbs on top of the roast.

Continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 140° - 145° (about 5 to 15 more minutes).

Transfer pork to a cutting board and allow to rest 15 to 25 minutes.

While the pork rests make the sauce.

Remove rack from pan and discard the herbs.  Straddle pan across 2 burners on medium heat.  Add vermouth and mustard and de-glaze.  Scrape up those tasty brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Let boil until reduced by half.

Add broth and simmer.  Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a 2 cup measure.  If there is more than 1-1/2 cups boil to reduce.  If there is less than 1-1/2 cups, add water.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Whisk in flour to form a roux and cook, whisking until pale golden.  Whisk in the vermouth mixture and simmer until slightly thickened.

The sauce alone is argument enough for keeping a bottle of dry vermouth on hand.

Serve pork with sauce.

Clean Kitchen

Herb-Roasted Pork Loin

Yields:  8 servings; Prep time:  20 minutes; Cooking time:  1-1/4 hours

Ingredients:

for pork:

1 (4 to 4-1/2 lb) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed

2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided

6 rosemary sprigs, divided

8 large thyme sprigs, divided

8 sage sprigs, divided

8 savory sprigs (optional-because they are hard to find), divided

½ cup finely chopped shallots (2 large)

2 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic (about 4 cloves)

3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

for sauce:

1/3 cup dry vermouth

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1-3/4 C. reduced-sodium chicken broth

1-1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1-1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Mise en place:

·         Rinse pork and pat dry

·         Rinse rosemary, thyme and sage; dry by rolling in paper towels

·         Toss half of the herbs with 1 tsp. oil

·         Mince shallots and garlic.  Stir together with Dijon mustard & 1 Tbsp. oil

·         Measure out vermouth, Dijon, chicken broth, butter and flour

Method:

Preheat oven to 350° with the rack in the middle.

Pat pork dry and season with 1-3/4 tsp. salt and 1-1/2 tsp. pepper.  Straddle a flameproof roasting pan over 2 burners, then heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers.  Brown pork on all sides, then transfer to a large plate.  Put a metal rack in pan and arrange half of herbs down middle of rack.  Smear the herb Dijon mustard mixture over top and sides of pork. 

Put roast, fat side up, on top of herbs.  Roast 1 hours.  Toss the remaining herbs with a little olive oil and place on top of the roast.

Continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 140° - 145° (about 5 to 15 more minutes).

Transfer pork to a cutting board and allow to rest 15 to 25 minutes.

While the pork rests make the sauce.

Remove rack from pan and discard the herbs.  Straddle pan across 2 burners on medium heat.  Add vermouth and mustard and deglaze,  scraping up the fond from the bottom of the pan.  Boil until reduced by half.

Add broth and simmer.  Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a 2 cup measure.  If there is more than 1-1/2 cups boil to reduce.  If there is less than 1-1/2 cups, add water.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Whish in flour to form a roux and cook, whisking until pale golden.  Whisk in the vermouth mixture and simmer until slightly thickened.

Serve pork with sauce