How To Make Roasted Pork With Autumn Vegetables

Roasted Pork with Autumn Vegetables is a great dish for any time of year, it is sure to impress your guests. Not only is it a fragrant dish, it is appealing to the eye as well. This is due to the bright, vibrant colors of the vegetables. It is a relatively easy dish to prepare as well, requiring minimal preparation. The dish is perfect for holidays and a casual get together, but also as just a family meal.

To begin the dish, you will need a few ingredients:

• Two and a quarter pound boneless pork loin
• Two fennel bulbs
• One small onion
• One tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• Two tablespoons of fresh sage
• 3/4 teaspoon of both salt and pepper
• One large rutabaga, eight baby carrots
• One bag of Brussels sprouts
• A bunch of baby beets
• 3/4 cup of reduced vegetable broth
• Half a cup of dried white wine
• Two teaspoons of Dijon mustard

Preparation:

The next step is to cut and wash your vegetables. Be sure to cut the onions and the fennel leaving the root side intact, and into 1/4 sections. By leaving the root side, you will be sure to keep them together. This makes the dish more visually appealing. Peel and cut your carrots into 2-3 inch sections. The rest of the vegetables do not need to be cut.

At this point, you want to caramelize the onions and fennel. What this means is to simply sauté them to give them a nice, brown color. This enhances the flavor, and makes them visually appealing. You will not cook them all the way through. To do this, heat some extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Place them cut side down in the pan, cook two minutes on one side then flip to the other side. You will hear them sizzling. Once caramelized, remove them from the pan and set them aside.

To prepare the dish for the oven, place the pork loin in the middle of your roasting pan, on top of a wire rack. This is done to allow drippings to collect underneath. Then lay the roasted vegetables evenly, alongside the roast. Next, place the rutabaga, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and beets around the roast in the same manner. Once they are all placed, sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the pork and vegetables. Then sprinkle the sage over the pork in the same manner; some can go over the vegetables as well, but most of the sage should be on the pork.

Finally, it is time to cook the roast. Place it in a preheated, 400 degree oven on a center rack. Bake the roast for approximately 50 minutes. Once the roast is cooked, it should have an internal temperature of 145 degrees. The final step is to make a sauce out of the stock that drips beneath the roast. Carefully remove the pan from the oven, and use tongs or a large fork to move the roast to a platter, and the vegetables to a bowl for serving later.

To make the white wine sauce, place a sauce pan over medium high heat. Take the drippings, which are called a “fond,” and pour them into the sauce pan. Add the vegetable stock, and chardonnay of your choice, along with the two teaspoons of Dijon mustard to the pan with the drippings. Whisk it together while bringing the mixture to a simmer. You will simmer it down, or reduce it for about ten minutes. When finished, it will be about half of the amount you started with. You will want to regularly whisk the mixture while it is simmering to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

To serve your amazing Roasted Pork with Autumn Vegetables, slice the pork and place it on a serving plate, surround it with a bit of each of the vegetables, and ladle some of the white wine sauce over the top of it. Guests will think you slaved for hours, but this simple dish can be your secret! You can end the meal with a cool dessert, leaving your guests satisfied and impressed.

Image: Jolts & Jollies