Apple-Braised Pork Loin
- 5 1/2 lb pork loin
- 2 clove garlic (sliced into slivers)
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 1/2 tsp sage
- 1 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 2 onions, cut into quarters (substitute fennel bulb)
- 2 lb sweet potatoes
- 2 1/2 cup Apple Cider
- 12 oz pitted prunes
- 2 Granny Smith (cut into wedges)
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup Half & Half (or light cream)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make slits in pork roast; insert garlic sliver into each slit. Combine herbs, salt, and pepper; pat onto roast. Place onions in bottom of roasting pan. Place pork (fat side up) and potatoes on top of onions. Bake 1 hour.
Mix together cider and AppleJack; pour around pork. Add prunes to pan. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Place apples around pork; cover and bake for 15 minutes, or until thermometer registers 170 degrees. Transfer pork and potato-fruit mixture to platter; keep warm.
With spoon, remove fat from surface of liquid in roasting pan. Place on stove; bring to a boil until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 5 minutes. In cup, blend flour with cream, pour into boiling liquid in roasting pan, whisking constantly, until it boils and thickens, about 2 minutes.
Serve sliced pork with potatoes and fruit. Pour gravy over.
Servings 10