Beautiful and delicious, this easy recipe for pork loin, surrounded by sweet and savory Honey-Glazed Squash, celebrates the joys of fall roasting.
Serves: 4
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Prep time: 30 min
Non-active time: 24 hours
Cook time: 60 min
Special tools: kitchen string, food processor
Ingredients
Herb-Crusted Pork Loin Roast
1 t garlic, peeled and crushed
1 T shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 T ea fresh rosemary, sage, parsley and thyme, roughly chopped, stems removed
1 t salt
1 t black pepper
1 T olive oil
1 T white wine or lemon juice
2 lb boneless pork loin roast
Honey-Glazed Squash
2-3 lb thin-skinned squash, mixed varieties, such as delicata, carnival and acorn, washed
2 T butter, melted (or olive oil)
2 T brown sugar
1 t salt
1 t black pepper
3 T honey, warmed
Steps
Herb-Crusted Pork Loin Roast
In a food processor, combine all ingredients up to and including olive oil and process to a paste. Add wine or lemon juice and pulse to combine. Rub pork loin with herb paste, tying firmly with kitchen string, if desired. The string holds the shape of the roast when cooking and serving. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill overnight, 24 hours. Chilling overnight intensifies/ infuses the loin with the flavors of the herbs and aromatics, resulting in a deeply seasoned roast.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove roast from plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temp for 1 hr. Place onto roasting pan and cook in oven until internal temp reaches 145 degrees, approx. 45-60 min. Allow to rest 15 min before slicing. Serve with glazed squash, arranged around pork loin.
Honey-Glazed Squash
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and seed squash, cutting into wedges or desired shapes, scraping seeds out with a spoon. Toss with melted butter, sugar, salt and pepper. Place in a single layer, slightly spaced, on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Roast until softened and beginning to color around edges, approx. 40 min. Drizzle with honey and finish cooking 15 min more, until honey begins to darken. Serve immediately.
