Drew’s retirement has meant the Kitchen has been quiet for the last month… no clashing pans, no sizzling sauces, no laughing or talking over good food.  We can’t have that, though, and even in CovidWorld our virtual Kitchen has room for a new chef… meet Kyle Speers, another of our Service Advisors with a knack for cooking.  He’ll be taking over the Golden Ladle of the Kitchen and bringing you his own take on cuisine from the fundamental to the fabulous.  And he’s taking over at a critical time… during a Covid Thanksgiving, where the seasonal feast is threatened, we’re all looking for something special.  Kyle’s first recipe rises to the challenge with a unique recipe that serves both the smaller groups we’ll be seeing this year and the larger feasts we hope to see next year…

Cranberry Apple Stuffed Pork Loin

Ingredients: 

• 1 boneless pork loin (about 3-4 lbs)
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• ½ cup panko or homemade breadcrumbs
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 1 cup peeled, chopped tart green apples
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• ¼ cup minced shallots
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp minced rosemary

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. How to butterfly the pork loin: Place the pork loin roast fat side down on a cutting board.  Note that one long side of the pork loin roast will be thicker, and one side thinner.  Using a sharp knife, make a long cut an inch or so from the edge from the thinner long side of the roast at about a 45° angle, stopping a half inch from reaching the bottom of the roast.  Then angle the knife so that it is flat, parallel to the cutting board, and make slow, shallow cuts into the roast, along the same line.  As you cut, you can open up the top part of the roast like a book.  Keep making slow, even cuts until you have “rolled” the roast out completely.
3. Pound the butterflied roast to an even thickness. With the pork roast unfolded, cover with 2 layers of plastic wrap.  Pound with a meat mallet to flatten to a somewhat even thickness.  Remove plastic wrap.  Sprinkle the pork with the salt and pepper and set aside.
4. Make the filling. Place the panko and stock in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Stir in the apples, walnuts, cranberries, shallots, maple syrup and rosemary.
5. Roll up pork roast with filling. Spread the filling over surface of the pork, leaving an inch margin around all sides except for the fat layer side-  with that side leave a 2” margin.  Starting with the end of the roast rectangle that does not have the fat layer on the bottom, roll up the roast.
6. Secure with kitchen string. Tie the roast in 1-2” intervals with cotton kitchen string.  (at this point you can wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate if you are making ahead).
7. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan with cooking spray or a little olive oil.  Place the roast in the pan and cook at 450° for 15 min to brown the top, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.  Cook uncovered, for about 30-40 min, or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140°F.
8. Rest and serve. Tent the roast with foil and let it rest for 10 min.  Remove the kitchen string and slice into ½” thick slices to serve.
9. Save the pan drippings! Serve with pan drippings or use the pan drippings to make gravy.

Prep time 0:25, Cook: 1 hour, Serves 6-8

Original recipe from SimplyRecipes.com