Roast Loin of Pork with Baked Apples and Cider Gravy

This is the first Tyler's Ultimate meal I ever made. OMG, it really was the ultimate. I have made it twice once with no bones and once with bones. I have to say I prefer it with no bones. I know they say bones make the meat more tender, but as you know, Joey and I eat our leftovers at lunch and to me the bones are a pain in the bootie. I didn't think it was much more tender, either. On top of that, we paid a lot more to have our butcher custom cut the bone-in cuts for us. Just get a Pork loin and follow the directions. I ensure you this will but one ultimate meal for you! On the apple front, one thing I have noticed is that a lot of Food Network people tell you to get your corn muffins at the store. Okay, what store? I have yet to see a corn muffin on sale anywhere in San Francisco! I bought me some Jiffy and made the bread on my own.

Make sure you really hollow out the apples and, I will say, you are going to need an entire tin. You want to make sure you really hollow out the apples to make them uber-delicious!

Ingredients

Pork:

• 2 (5 pound) pork loin roasts, rib bones attached, back bone (chine) removed
• Small bunch sage, leaves chopped
• Small bunch thyme, leaves chopped
• 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle hard cider
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 lemon, juiced optional

Apples:

• 8 Gala or Golden Delicious apples
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 or 2 large corn muffins crumbled (1/2 cup), reserve some for sprinkling on apples
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 6 sage leaves, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup hard cider
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.


Place the pork roast in a roasting pan with the ribs facing up, braced against each other. Add sage and thyme to olive oil. Brush the pork roasts with oil mixture and season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Roast the pork loin for 2 1/2 hours, until the skin is crackled. (Put the apples in the oven along with the pork roast in the last half hour of cooking.)
Remove the pork roast to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving. Pour out some of the excess fat from the roasting pan and put it on the stove over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the flour into the hot pan juices, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps. Cook and stir the roux until its light brown. Add the cider and continue to stir to incorporate. Pour in the chicken broth; boil and stir for 5 minutes until the sauce is thick. Check for seasoning - add lemon juice if necessary. Serve the cider gravy with the pork roast and baked apples.
To make the buttered apples: Core the apples with an apple corer, making a good size cavity to hold the stuffing. Douse the cut sides of the apples with some of the lemon juice to prevent them from browning while you make the stuffing. In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, muffin crumbs, raisins, sage, garlic, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Spoon the stuffing into the cavities of the cored apples; stand them up, side by side, in a baking dish and sprinkle the tops with the reserved muffin crumbs. Pour the cider around the apples and bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 375 degrees F, until soft when pierced with a knife. Place the warm apples in the center of a round serving dish. Spoon the cider sauce around the apples and serve with the pork loin.
This goes with Braised Cabbage. The best cabbage EVER!
Serves 8