Garlic & Rosemary Pork Loin with Root Vegetables
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Garlic and rosemary pork loin roasts alongside Yukon Golds and butternut squash, then gets finished with a glossy prune-juice pan sauce scraped from the fond. A one-pan Sunday dinner with built-in sides.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
88 minREADY
2 hrsGarlic and rosemary pork loin with root vegetables is a one-pan Sunday roast that reads rustic-European but comes together without any special equipment. A paste of fresh rosemary, minced garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper (pounded to a rough paste in a mortar or chopped fine on the cutting board) gets rubbed all over a trimmed pork loin roast. As the meat cooks, that crust crisps and perfumes the entire pan.
The vegetables go in staggered. Yukon Golds start first so their starchy interiors fully cook; butternut squash joins halfway through so it caramelizes without turning to mush. Both drink up the pork drippings as they roast.
The real payoff is the pan sauce. Once the pork comes out to rest, a splash of prune juice hits the hot pan to loosen all those mahogany bits stuck to the bottom. A cup of chicken broth simmers it down to something glossy, deep, and barely sweet. That sauce is what lifts a good roast into something you’d remember.
Chef Tips
- Pull the pork at 145°F (63°C) for medium-rare or 155°F (68°C) for medium. Carryover cooking pushes the temperature another 5°F (3°C) during the 15-minute rest.
- Rest the pork uncovered for the first five minutes so the crust stays crisp, then tent loosely with foil. Cut too early and the juices run out onto the board.
- If the vegetables aren’t browned when the pork hits temperature, lift them off to a bowl and keep the roast resting while they finish in a hotter oven.
Variations
- Swap prune juice for apple cider or dry white wine in the pan sauce for a brighter, more acidic finish.
- Add parsnips, turnips, or carrots to the vegetable mix for a deeper root-vegetable profile.
- Rub a tablespoon of Dijon mustard into the rosemary-garlic paste for a sharper, tangier crust.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Mix together rosemary, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper in a mortar and crush with the pestle to form a paste. (Or finely chop the ingredients together on a cutting board.)
Spray a large roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Arrange pork in the pan and rub and spread the rosemary mixture all over the pork.
Add potatoes, 2 teaspoons oil and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl and toss to evenly coat, scatter along one side of the pork.
Roast the pork and potatoes for half an hour.
Meanwhile, toss squash with the remaining oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper in a medium bowl.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven.
Carefully turn the pork over.
Scatter the squash along the other side of the pork.
Roast the pork until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 155°F, 30 to 38 minutes more.
Transfer the pork to a cutting board, tent with foil and let stand for about 15 minutes.
When the vegetables are tender, transfer them to a bowl, cover and keep them warm.
If not, continue roasting until they are browned and tender, about 15 minutes more.
After removing the vegetables, put the roasting pan over medium heat and add prune juice, bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits.
Simmer for 2 to 4 minutes.
Pour in broth and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for a few minutes to intensify the flavor.
Stir in any juices that have accumulated on the cutting board.
For serving:
Cut the strings from the pork and carve.
Serve with the roasted vegetables and warm pan sauce.
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