holiday roast recipe

Grandma&#039;s Pork Loin Roast gets a nice brine and then a maple-mustard crust when it bakes. Cook along with the apple and fennel, and wow oh wow, is this good!  Grandma would be so proud!

Grandma's Pork Loin Roast

apple cider (cold)

salt

brown sugar (light)

garlic (crushed)

thyme (thyme)

pork

maple syrup

tbsp whole-grain mustard

tsp thyme (fresh, chopped)

1½ tsp Kosher salt (divided)

tsp black pepper (freshly ground, divided)

fennel (quartered,

apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)

olive oil

Combine 2 cups of the apple cider with the salt, brown sugar, garlic, and thyme in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly, until salt and sugar dissolved, about 3 minutes.

Whisking continuously, pour the hot cider/salt mixture into another pan or bowl with the remaining cold apple cider.

Place the pork loin roast in a pot that is lined with a brine bag.  Pour the brine over the pork.  Tie up and cover.  Place in the refrigerator for 8 to 18 hours.

BRINE THE PORK

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat your oven to 450°F.

In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, mustard, thyme, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp black pepper.

Drain the pork and pat dry with paper towels.

In a medium bowl, toss the fennel and apple with the oil, ½ tsp salt, and a good pinch of black pepper.

Scatter the apples and fennel across the bottom of a large roasting pan (large enough to hold the pork with an inch or two of space around the edges).

Put the pork, fat side up, on top of the fennel and apples. Brush the pork all over with the mustard glaze.

Roast the pork until the crust just starts to brown, about 20 minutes.

Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loin reads 145 F., about 50 to 60 minutes more.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice the pork and serve with roasted apples and fennel on the side.

ROAST THE PORK

Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce is a show-stopper of a roast.  Pick up a whole tenderloin from your butcher to serve 8 to 12 people.  Get a 2 to 3 lb roast for 4 servings.  The red wine sauce can be started days in advance.  And the leftovers are insanely delicious.

Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

butter

shallots (chopped)

red wine

beef broth (divided)

thyme (fresh)

¼ tsp black pepper

beef

olive oil (or canola, divided)

tbsp rosemary (fresh, chopped)

garlic (finely minced)

salt and pepper

finishing salt (such

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tbsp of the butter over medium heat.  Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes.

Add the wine, 2 cups of broth, thyme, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, or until reduced by half.  Turn off heat.  This can be done up to 3 days in advance.  See NOTES.

Start the Sauce

Meanwhile, rub 2 tbsp of the oil all over the roast.  Use your fingers to rub in the rosemary and garlic all over the roast.  Liberally salt and pepper the entire roast.  Allow the roast to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Heat 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large oven-proof skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the roast and sear until browned all over, about 7 minutes.  It&#39;s okay if you have to bend the roast to fit in the skillet.

Place the skillet in the oven and cook until an internal temperature of 125°F is reached (for medium-rare).  If you don&#39;t have an oven-proof skillet, transfer the roast to a baking pan.  An instant-read thermometer ensures the correct internal temperature.  See NOTES regarding cooking temperatures.

Remove the roast from the skillet/pan, and allow to rest while you finish the sauce.

Place the skillet (or pan) on the stove over medium heat.  Add the remaining ¼ cup of beef broth and use a spatula to scrape up the bits stuck to the pan.  Bring to a simmer and sprinkle with another ¼ tsp of salt.  Pour the broth into the pan with reserved sauce.   Stir to combine.   Strain into a gravy boat if serving immediately.   If not serving immediately, store the sauce and then gently reheat over low heat on the stove in a pan.

Cut the twine from the meat and then slice the roast into ½-inch medallions.  Place on a serving platter and serve warm, or at room temperature, with sauce on the side.   Sprinkle the slices with finishing salt, if desired.

Prepare the Roast and Finish the Sauce

Top 2 holiday roast recipe recipes from across the web

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Grandma's Pork Loin Roast

Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

Top 2 holiday roast recipe recipes from across the web

The most viewed holiday roast recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Grandma's Pork Loin Roast

Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

The most viewed holiday roast recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine