Bev had purchased a whole pork loin during her recent visit to Sam’s Club and rather than cut any chops, I cut it into four roasts about 7” long and froze three of them. The fourth, I decided to use as a stuffed pork loin and Tatyana’s recipe for it from her “Tatyana’s Everyday Food” blog looked good especially since I had nearly everything on hand. I only had a two pound roast so I halved everything to get the recipe below. You can click on the above link for her original recipe which is must more detailed than my edited version. My roast didn’t look as perfect as hers.
Apple And Bacon Stuffed Pork Loin – Adapted from Tatyana’s Everyday Food
Ingredients:
2 pound pork loin
For Filling:
3 slices smoked bacon, diced
1 med shallot, diced
3 cups fresh baby spinach
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp brandy or cognac, optional
½ small apple, peeled and finely diced
¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tbsp sea salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tbsp fresh thyme (½ tsp dried)
½ tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped (½ tsp dried)
Billy Bones pork rub (added by Larry)
For Roasting Pan:
3 tbsp butter
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
10 whole garlic cloves
1 cup chicken broth
For Gravy:
1½ tbsp butter
1½ tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup pan drippings broth, strained
Instructions:
1. Trim the loin, then double butterfly it and
pound with a Jaccard and/or meat mallet to ½” thickness.
Preparing the Filling:
2. Preheat a large pan over medium heat, add the
diced bacon, and render it for a few minutes.
3. Next, add the shallots and cook until the bacon
is crispy.
4. Add the fresh spinach next and toss it with the
bacon bits.
5. After the spinach has wilted, add in the garlic
and the brandy, toss everything together, and cook for about 2 minutes, until
most of the liquids are reduced. Transfer this mixture into a large mixing bowl
to cool.
6. Add the remaining filling ingredients to the
bowl: apples, dried cranberries, salt, black pepper, paprika, mustard, maple
syrup, thyme and rosemary. Use a spoon to mix everything together thoroughly.
Filling is all done!
Stuffing, Rolling & Tying:
7. Spread the prepared filling onto the entire
surface of the pork loin, leaving a 1½ to 2 inch seam on just one edge, closest
to the top. Pat the filling gently into place.
10. At this point, I added a coat of my pork rub so I didn't brown it in a pan.
Roasting the Pork:
Preheat a large pan over medium-high heat and
add a drizzle of oil. Add the stuffed pork loin and fry the loin until it’s
golden brown, then turn it. Turn it every few minutes, until it’s well browned
all over. (Since I used a rub, I didn’t do this).
11. Add in the whole garlic cloves, fresh herbs and
pour in 1 cup of chicken broth into a pan.
12. Roast the pork loin at 425F for approximately 30
minutes or until it has the desired color.
13. Insert a remote probe thermometer into the
middle and cover the pan with foil.
14. Cook to an internal temp of 138F then, baste it
a few times, remove to a cutting board and tent with the foil to rest while you
make the gravy.
Making the Gravy:
15. For the gravy, strain the remaining broth from
the pan through a fine mesh strainer and into a large measuring cup. Place the
whole garlic into a separate bowl. Allow the broth to stand for about
10minutes, until the fat has separated at the top.
16. Using a baster, suck up the broth from the
bottom of the measuring up into a second cup. You’ll need just 1 cup of the pan
drippings/broth.
17. Preheat a medium-sized sauce pan over medium
heat and add the butter and flour to create a roux. Allow the roux to cook for 3
to 4 minutes, then slowly begin adding the pan broth, whisking after each
addition. Next, add in the chicken broth. This will help balance the gravy so
it’s not too salty!
18. Finally, use a spatula to mash the roasted
garlic and whisk it into the gravy!
Serving:
19.Once the pork is rested, cut away the twine,
then use a sharp knife to slice the loin into ½-inch thick slices. Serve it
with a generous amount of the gravy and some type of side dish.
We sided it with a baked sweet potato but my slices wanted
to come apart a little.
The Verdict:
We all thought it was very good, with fork tender, juicy meat,
a tasty filling and topped off with a complementary gravy. It would have been very dry if cooked to the
160F suggested by Tatyana. I’ll likely
use a different recipe next time as there are so many different stuffings that I want
to try.
Photos can be enlarged by
clicking on them and the blue words are links.
Have a
great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
Larry
04/05/23
meal date
wow now thats a gourmet x 100 meal super !!
ReplyDeleteLarry, We love a good rolled pork roast...and like you, we are very careful when we cook any pork roast. Overcooking them to death yields dry and semi-tasteless meat. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific idea and it looks festive and tasty.
ReplyDeleteWell that looks delicious. Love big showy meals like this. This week, I'm making a rack of pork that's been Frenched. Seared, seasoned and glazed with peach jam.
ReplyDelete