Stuffed Pork Loin Roast with Sausage, Cherries, and Fennel Recipe
Stuffed Pork Loin Roast with Sausage, Cherries, and Fennel
Every year when Thanksgiving approaches, my mind enters hyper mode as I fantasize about holiday food. I’m a traditionalist at Thanksgiving and I prefer some form of fowl with semi-traditional sides. I don’t mind a twist on the classic dishes, but I usually stick to the basics: stuffing or dressing, green beans, Brussels sprout, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
Christmas is a different ballgame. I gift my family with a gourmet dinner at Christmas and the meals I’ve made over the years run the gamut of menus. Lobster, beef wellington, pork crown roast, and turducken have all made appearances on our Christmas table. I do absolutely adore cooking at Christmas.
Because it’s such a big day, I make an effort to do a trial run if I’m making something new. I’ve had stuffed pork loin on my to do list for several months now and as I pondered this year’s Christmas meal, I developed this recipe as a contender.
I love stuffing things, especially meat. The trick to stuffing something like a pork loin roast is creating a uniform and flat surface. The images below demonstrate how to butterfly the roast.
A sharp knife is essential to butterflying a piece of meat. Start by cutting into one side of the roast at a 45 degree angle. Making small cuts, pull the meat away from the roast as you cut. Rotate the roast and continue the process. You’ll want the roast to ultimately be about 3/4 inch thick.
Spread the stuffing evenly over the flattened roast leaving a one inch border on two opposite sides. Begin rolling the roast as tightly as possible, tucking in any stuffing that sneaks out. Finish the roll with the seam on the bottom. Secure the roast by tying with six or seven strands of kitchen twine.
Start the cooking process in a very hot oven heated to 450 degrees for 15 minutes. The maple mustard glaze forms a delicious crust during this phase of cooking. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees for the remainder of cooking time. As I have mentioned before, I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to assure that your roast reaches the desired level of doneness. Cook to an internal temperature of 145 degrees and you’ll have a wonderfully moist and delicious holiday main course.
Stuffed Pork Loin Roast with Sausage, Cherries, and Fennel
Ingredients
- 1 3 1/2 to 4 pound pork loin roast
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup roughly chopped fennel bulb
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 links Italian chicken sausage, casings removed
- 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
- 3 cups cubed stale bread
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, separated
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, separated
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Butterfly pork roast (see photos above)
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, fennel, and garlic and saute for three to four minutes until onions are translucent. Add sausage to onion mixture and break up with a spatula. Continue cooking until sausage is browning.
4. Add parsley, thyme, cherries, bread, one teaspoon salt, one half teaspoon pepper, and chicken stock. Remove from heat and mix well.
5. Spread butterflied roast on a cutting board. Spoon stuffing over roast and spread evenly, leaving one inch border on two opposite ends. Starting at one end of the roast, roll away from you pressing firmly to create a tight roll. Continue rolling and end with the seam on the bottom. Secure by tying six or seven strands of kitchen twine around the roast.
6. Mix maple syrup, mustard, one half teaspoon salt, and one half teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Brush the mixture all over the roast. Place roast in a roasting pan and place in oven.
7. Cook roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
8. Slice roast and serve immediately.
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