ROASTED PORK LOIN WITH BAKED APPLES & CIDER GRAVY

Roasted Pork Loin with Baked Apples & Cider Gravy image

Provided by Patrick Johnson

Categories Roasts

Time 3h15m

Number Of Ingredients 23

PORK LOIN
2 4-5 lb. pork loin roasts, with rib bones, back bone removed
1 bunch thyme, chopped
1 bunch sage, chopped
1/2 sprig(s) rosemary, chpped
1 1/2 c olive oil
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
3 Tbsp flour
1 c chicken stock (see recipe in "the basics"
12 oz hard cider
2 lemons, juiced
APPLES
8 golden delicious apples
2 lemons, juiced
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
3/4 c corn bread or corn muffins, crumbled
1/2 c golden raisins
4 large sage leaves, finely chopped
3 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c light brown sugar
3 c hard cider (drink two of these while prepping)
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix sage, thyme and olive oil.
3. Place pork roasts in roasting pan with ribs facing up and leaning against each other. Brush with herb and oil mixture and season generously with salt and pepper.
4. Roast the pork loin for 2 until the skin starts to crack.
5. Place the apples in the pan with the pork roasts and roast for an additional 30 mins. SEE BELOW FOR PREPARATION OF APPLES.
6. Remove roasting pan from oven and transfer the pork roast to a cutting board and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
7. Transfer some of the fat from the roasting pan into a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat.
8. Add flour a little at a time stirring constantly. Cook roux until it becomes nutty in fragrance and about the color of chocolate milk.
9. Sip some cider while stirring in 1 cup to the roux.
10. Stirring constantly, add chicken stock and stir until sauce is thick.
11. Add the lemon juice and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
12. Core the apples making a good cavity for the stuffing and liberally apply lemon juice to preven browning while making the stuffing.
13. To make the stuffing, to a mixing bowl add the butter, cornbread crumbs, raisins, sage, garlic, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
14. Stuff the apples with the stuffing mixture and stand them side by side in the roasting pan with the pork loin roasts at about the 2 hour mark as noted above.
15. Arrange apples around rested pork loin roasts and spoon the cider gravy over all.