Apple-Braised Pork Pot Roast

When it comes to comfort food, I enjoy pot roast. It is simple to make, smells wonderful in the oven, makes you feel good, and there are always leftovers. I must have four or five different pot roast recipes. Each has its own spin. There is the popular Yankee Pot Roast, Pot Roast with Mustard and Horseradish Gravy, Red Wine Pot Roast with Honey and Thyme or Kate's Pot Roast!

Given my love of comfort food this time of year you can only imagine how elated I was to find Apple-Braised Pork Pot Roast in the February issue of Cuisine at Home Magazine.

Pork, apples, sweet potatoes, on noodles?! This was sounding heavenly. I could smell it before it was together! The recipe had many steps and was estimated to take 4 1/2 hours to prepare! I made a few adjustments along the way and we enjoyed a very flavorful pot roast for dinner and it didn't take 4 1/2 hours to prepare.

Apple-Braised Pork Pot Roast
with Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes

(adapted from Cuisine at Home)

Pork Preparation
1 pork loin (abt 3 pounds)
3 Tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves
3 Tbsp sliced garlic cloves
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. EV olive oil

Sauce Preparation
3 small tart apples (Granny Smith) core and dice
2 medium onions, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup flour
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups apple cider
3 fresh sage leaves

Vegetable Preparation
4-6 small tart apples
2 cups (2 medium) sweet potato, peeled, cubed
2 medium parsnips, peeled, diced
Sage leaves for garnish

Preheat oven: 325 degrees F.

Trim exterior fat from roast. Pat pork dry. Cut 1 inch deep slits into meat.

Combine sage, garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Stuff the slits with the sage mixture. Season the roast with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large, ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Sear roast on all sides until well browned, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

In the same pot used to brown the pork, saute the diced apple, onions, and celery until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, stir often. Add tomato paste; stir until it starts to brown on bottom of the pot. Stir in flour.

Deglaze the pot with the wine, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in cider and 3 sage leaves; bring liquid to a boil; return seared roast to pot. Cover pot and place in the oven; braise for 2 hours.

Remove the pot from the oven. Transfer the roast to a platter. Strain sauce discarding apples and vegetables. Return sauce and roast to the pot. Cover pot; return roast to the oven.

Cook roast for another hour. Score 4-6 apples around their circumference with a knife, being careful to cut only the skin of the apples. Add apples, sweet potatoes, and parsnips to the pot. Cover; cook until meat is fork tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Prepare noodles.

Transfer roast , apples, and vegetables to a platter; using a fork, break meat into pieces. Bring sauce to a simmer; skim off the discard any fat. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

To serve, arrange pork, apples, and vegetables on a platter over buttered noodles. Spoon sauce over meat. Garnish with remaining sage leaves, if desired.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

This was truly heavenly on the palate! Even the leftovers were wonderful!

It's Foodie Friday hosted by Michael at Designs by Gollum. Stop by and browse through all of the wonderful dishes that are being prepared. You won't go away hungry!