Braised Pork Loin with Turnip & Potatoes

This is Sunday dinner the way it’s supposed to be: a big roast in a big pan, root vegetables all around, and the kind of aroma drifting through the house that makes everyone ask when it’s ready.

A four-pound pork loin gets rubbed with allspice, salt, and pepper, then roasts uncovered for the first hour to build a golden crust.

Apple cider goes in next, along with thick slices of turnip, and the lid goes on for a covered braise that turns the meat juicy and the turnips soft and sweet.

Potatoes join for the final stretch, soaking up the cider-spiked pan drippings until they’re tender and glazed.

The drippings get skimmed and reduced into a concentrated sauce that you spoon over everything on the platter.

Kitchen Tips

• Start uncovered, then cover. That first hour of dry roasting builds the crust. If you cover from the start, the pork steams instead of browns.
• Baste the vegetables when you add the potatoes. The pan drippings are loaded with apple cider, pork fat, and allspice. Coating the vegetables in that mixture is what gives them their golden glaze.
• Reduce the drippings for a full 15 minutes over high heat. This concentrates the sauce from watery pan juices into something rich and spoonable.