on the menu ~ roasted pork loin

I wanted to share this easy yet super yummy recipe for roasted pork loin which I cook with potatoes, apples and onions.

I don’t know about you but I love the one dish recipes.  love, Love, LOVE.  Especially during the week.  It’s way easier to put together and much easier to clean up.

As I expressed here at the beginning of the year,  I plan to branch out of my menu planning rut and aspire to try new recipes.  I have been experimenting with new recipes with mostly successes, which I’ll share soon but this one is a tried and true recipe.

And although I’ve been making this for years it was not one of those in my usual menu rotation so it still holds some excitement for the family when I make it.  Remember to read the recipe through twice before you begin and then assemble all your ingredients together.  I find by doing this it makes the whole cooking process less stressful and enjoyable.  Plus you prevent errors by something you are not prepared for or might miss  {note: recipe calls for dijon mustard but of course I only had yellow mustard on this day so the show must go on}

The longer you can marinade the pork loin the better but an hour will work if you’re pressed for time.  I now it’s much prettier and photogenic to marinade food in pretty vessels but I’m being real & practical here.  The gallon zip-loc bag is fabulous to marinade meats and foods in general.  The best part?  You toss it out when you’re done.

When you’re ready to cook and the oven has come to temperature chop all the vegetables to even sized chunks you can also substitute for other vegetables you or|and your family prefer.  I place the pork loin in the center of my baker dish with all the marinade and then I surround the loin evenly with the veggie mixture.  Make sure to baste your loin about three times while it roasts.  I do it about 1/3 of the way in of the cooking time, then again about 2/3rds of the way and finally when it’s done roasting.

Once you remove the pork loin from the oven let it sit for at least 5 minutes before you slice it into servings.  This allows the juices to set so they don’t all run out when you start cutting.   I placed the pork loin back in the backing dish to serve sprinkled with fresh scallions.  You could place everything on a pretty serving platter for a nicer presentation but this would defeat the whole one dish premise I expressed at the beginning of the post.  I would only do this when you’re entertaining or you want to elevate the meal for a special occasion.

RECIPE:

preheat oven 350^o

ingredients:

1.25-1.50 lb. pork loin

1 apple {i prefer granny smith}

3 medium yukon potatoes

8 cipolline onions

2 chopped scallions for garnish

for marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 T. olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 cloves minced garlic

1 T. brown sugar

1 T. dijon mustard

black pepper to taste {1/4-1/2 tsp.}

Mix all marinade ingredients with pork loin in zip-loc bag and marinade pork loin for 1-6hrs.

When ready to roast cut potatoes & apple into even sized cubes.  Peel onions.

Assemble ingredients in dish by placing pork loin with marinade in center of baking dish and surround evenly with vegetable medley.

Roast 45 minutes.  Baste about every 15 minutes.

After roasting let sit for about 5 minutes before slicing.

This feeds my family of 4.  Everyone loves it so we finish it all off but everyone has plenty at the same time.  We just keep eating until it’s all gone.

Enjoy! Bon Appetite.

Don’t forget to pin it for later reference.

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces just good food from fresh ingredients.”

~Julia Child~