Holiday season is upon us! That means lots of opportunities to gather with family and friends over a delicious meal. But hosting an elegant holiday feast does NOT have to begin with hours of toil in the kitchen. This incredible recipe comes together in about 10 minutes and results in the most beautiful, perfectly moist centerpiece for your holiday spread. Pair it with a little salad and a good crusty bread (for sipping up those delicious drippings, of course) for an amazing meal that your guests will think you spent all day preparing!
There are a few tricks to making a PERFECT pork roast. First, you want to find a pork half loin (not to be confused with tenderloin) that has a good fat cap on top. Let the roast come to room temperature for about half an hour before you place it in the oven to promote more even cooking. Another important trick for getting the most flavorful, juicy roast is to start off with high heat - 450 degrees - to help seal in those juices, then drop it down to 300 for the rest of the cook time.
This recipe calls for our Garlic Pepper Sage seasoning blend, but would also work well with our Chipotle Coffee Rub, Tuscan Table Blend or our Rosemary Citrus Sea Salt for a dramatically different flavor (read: so you can reuse this recipe at multiple meals without feeling repetitive). The Garlic Pepper Sage blend is so aromatic and perfectly balanced - your house will smell incredible when your guests arrive! And the flavor profile works so well with all of the root vegetables we tend to gravitate to this time of year. But this is one of those recipes that gives you the freedom to get creative, so feel free to experiment with different seasonings, vegetable combinations, etc.!
I like to start by tossing my veggies into the bottom of the pan and placing my roast directly on top of them - this gives the roast a little lift to promote more even cooking without lifting it completely out of all of those yummy drippings that will gather in the bottom of the pan. You can stick with the traditional trifecta of carrots, celery and potatoes, or mix it up with onions, turnips - whatever you like. Once you get the roast placed in the pan, you will want to spread the compound butter all over the top. The pork will still be cool enough to hold the butter in place, so make sure that your butter is softened, not completely melted - this is how you get that gorgeous crust on top. I like to drizzle a little olive oil on top, too - it adds just a little more richness to the dish. The veggies will pick up a ton of flavor from the drippings, but you can add a little extra seasoning to them if you like.
Once your oven is at temperature (425 degrees), place the uncovered roast inside and set your timer for 15 minutes. When time is up, drop the temperature down to 300 degrees, and let the roast cook for 20 minutes per pound, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees in the center. Once it's finished, let it rest for about 15 minutes before carving so you don't lose that beautiful juiciness.
That's really all it takes! So simple! So elegant! So delicious! Did I mention so simple?! This will become a favorite for holidays, but also makes a great weeknight dinner you can get in the oven before rushing the kids to practice, and then return home to an amazing meal. And the versatility of it will have you returning to this meal again and again.
Enjoy!
Recipe: Black Pepper Garlic Pork Roast
Ingredients:
one 4-6 lb pork half loin roast
1 stick unsalted* butter, softened
1/3c Garlic Pepper Sage seasoning blend (or substitute of your choice*)
3-4 cups veggies of choice, chopped as desired
Directions:
Allow pork loin to come to room temperature (20-30 minutes) and preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a large roasting pan with foil (optional, but makes cleanup much easier).
Toss 2 cups of veggies in the bottom of the pan.
Place roast on top of veggies with fat cap on top.
Mix Garlic Pepper Sage seasoning blend into softened butter and spread evenly on top of roast.
Place remaining veggies around roast and sprinkle with extra seasoning, if desired.
Drizzle a little olive oil over roast and veggies, if desired.
Place in center of oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees.
Allow to cook for an additional 20 minutes per pound. When a thermometer/probe placed in center of roast reads 145 degrees, remove roast from oven.
Allow roast to rest 15 minutes before carving. Slice carefully to keep top crust in tact.
When plated, drizzle with pan drippings for additional moisture and flavor.
*If using a salt-based seasoning blend, use unsalted butter and start with half the amount of seasoning, then adjust to taste.