Herb and Mustard Pork Loin Roast

    Last Sunday we threw my dad a party for his 94th birthday, and after mentioning the pork loin roast I served, I had some people ask me exactly how to do that roast. Pork loin is a pretty lean meat, and a big problem with cooking it is that it can easily be overcooked and dry. It's also something I don't cook a lot of around here, but is/was a big favorite of both my parents.
  
   When it comes to family parties at our house I'm always safe with the picky eaters if I serve  Italian food, and since my family on both sides hails from Tuscany, (except for that Frenchman, and the Irish dame who got mixed up with the family back in 1850) that's the way they like to eat. So, about twice a year I find myself making this pork loin roast with herbs.

   I stumbled across the recipe several years ago via the Epicurious website. It's attributed to Maggie Ruggerio but I've tweaked it a bit to make it fit the Gori familys' taste. One thing I like about this recipe is that it's easy to make and it also cooks at the same temperature as the clay pot polenta I always serve it with. Two dishes with one oven. Always helpful.

Herb Crusted Pork Loin

Here's What You Need:

One  4lb boneless pork loin
1/2 cup of chopped shallots
2 Tbs of olive oil
8 sprigs of sage
8 sprigs of thyme
6 sprigs of rosemary
3 Tbs of whole grain old fashioned Dijon mustard

Here's What to Do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with a rack in the middle.
Pat the pork loin dry, Sprinkle it with 1 and 1/2 tsp of salt, and a few grinds of pepper to taste.
Heat a skillet (I use cast iron) and when it's hot add in 1 Tbs of olive oil.
Sear the pork loin on all sides until it's browned (I cook it about 3 minutes per side on a medium high heat.)
Take the roast from the pan and put it on a plate, to cool.

Put a rack in a roasting pan.
Lay 3 rosemary sprigs, 4 thyme sprigs and 4 sage sprigs lengthwise on the rack.
In a small bowl mix together the finely chopped shallots, Dijon mustard and 1 Tbs of olive oil.
Mix this together well.
Spread this mixture on the top and sides of the pork loin.

Lay the roast fat side up on the bed of herbs in the roasting pan.

Roast the pork loin on the middle rack in the oven for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, take the rest of the herbs, put them in a bowl with 1 Tbs of olive oil and coat them.
After an hour take the pork roast out and lay the oil coated herbs on top of the roast.
Pop it back in the oven and cook for another 10  minutes or so.
The roast is done when the meat thermometer reads 145 degrees.
Let the meat rest for about 25 minutes before cutting it.
The meat will be moist due to it's little coat of mustard and herbs.
 
I wish I had a picture of the finished roast to show you but it tends to disappear.
Meanwhile, I leave you with this iris.

Coming up next, I really am going to stuff that cauliflower like a chicken. Promise. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Polentas' New BFF, Mustard and Herb Roast Pork Loin.

 I love dishes that I don't have to worry about. Obedient little entrees that one can tuck into the oven and don't scream for attention every five minutes. That's one of the pleasures of slow cooking with clay, prep it and leave it. But the world doesn't totally revolve around clay and not everything can be done that way.
  One dish that I especially love that fits this category is Herb and Mustard Crusted Pork Loin. I stumbled across this dish about two years ago on the epicurious.com website.  It's attributed to Maggie Ruggiero and this is my adaptation of it. This dish always hits the spot with the family and is fast becoming an Easter tradition at our house. It's one of the easiest things in the world to prepare. Just a marinating paste whipped up in the food processor or blender, slathered on and it's ready to go. And go it does. It works amazingly well with oven roast polenta, and these two dishes make great oven roommates. They never get in each others way and go great side by side on the same plate. Here's how to make it.
  Start with a 4 lb pork loin roast. Pat it dry and season with 1 and 1/4 tsp of salt and some ground pepper to taste.
In a heavy pan (I use cast iron) quickly brown it in about 2 Tbs of hot olive oil.

 When the roast is lightly browned on all sides, coat it with a paste. Here's how to do it.
  In a blender or food processor, finely chop 1/2 cup of shallots
  Mix that together with 3 Tbs of whole grain Dijon mustard.

In a roasting pan, lay fresh herbs on the bottom of the roasting rack.
3 Sprigs of fresh rosemary
4 sprigs of thyme
4 sprigs of sage

   Coat the pork roast on the top and sides with the paste then lay it down on the roasting rack fat side up.

 Roast the pork loin in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for one hour.
 After an hour take it out and in a bowl mix together:
3 sprigs of rosemary
4 sprigs of thyme
4 sprigs of sage
1 Tbs of olive oil
Drape the top of the roast with these and put it back into the oven for another 15  minutes or so. The roast is done when a meat thermometer  gives a reading of 140 to 145 degrees.
 Take it out of the oven and let it rest for about 20 minutes before serving.
  I must mention here that there is a gravy that goes with this meat. I don't serve it to my family however because they are not "gravy" people and it would just go to waste on them. This is how it's made for those of you who are not cooking for my mother.
Take the pan drippings and bring them to a boil.
 De-glaze them by adding :
1/3 cup of dry vermouth
2 tsp of whole grain Dijon mustard
1 3/4 cup of chicken broth
  simmer this for about 3 minutes or so . It should reduce down. Strain it, keeping out the chunky bits and flecks
 In a separate pan melt
 1 and 1/2 Tbs of unsalted butter and add in
 1 and 1/2 Tbs of flour
 Whisk it up well so that it's smooth and whisk in the vermouth mmixture
 Simmer till it's thickened  which should take about 3 minutes.
  I would imagine this is great tasting, and I'm going to have to do this roast for just us one of these days to experience the sauce.
  This recipe fed about 8 picky eaters and we had a bit left over for ourselves for the next day. Always a good thing after cooking a huge meal, next days' left overs.
Coming up next, I whip out the clay for a "no touch" side dish.