Pork Loin with Sage & Applesauce

Tuesday 7 February 2017



When I was a young woman, I couldn't really afford to buy cookery books.  With a growing family to care for and being a stay at home mom, cookery books were not in my budget.   I used to handwrite out recipes gleaned from library books and friends and magazines into notebooks.  This is one of those recipes and I can no longer remember if it came from a book, magazine or a friend, or if it was an exeriment of my own that worked out well.  I tend to think that it is the latter due to the simplicity of it.   Simple recipes are often the best ones don't you think?




This is a simple and delicious way to cook a boneless loin of pork.  You get succulent tender meat with a beautifully flavoured breadcrumb crust   . . .  and of course a delicious applesauce to serve with it.


We never had hot roast pork when I was growing up.  My father only liked his pork cold and so my mother would always cook it the day before and we would have it cold, sliced into thin slices and served with mustard.


It was okay but not my favourite.  I remember being quite surprised at the deliciousness of hot pork the first time I had it freshly roasted!  Boy, it was good!  I fell in love.


I had it at my friend Leona's house.  It was a Pork Butt roast, slow cooked in the oven with lots of vegetables and a delicious gravy.  It was so tender and yes, succulently filled with flavour. 


Of course the fattier cuts are a lot tenderer and filled with more flavour . . .  but the loin can also be very delicious if cooked properly.  Because it is such a lean cut of meat you don't want to overcook it as it will very quickly dry out and be tough.


The timings here are just perfect for a 5 pound piece of pork loin.  Boneless and with only a thin covering of fat.  The rind is removed so there is no crackling, but that is perfectly okay.  That tasty breadcrumb crust more than makes up for its lack and is a lot healthier as well!   The tart applesauce goes perfectly with the sage and the pork to make for a beautiful combination!


*Roast Pork Loin with Sage and Apple Sauce*
Serves 4 to 6 

Delicious moist and tender roasted pork, with a fabulous bread crumb crust!  

1 boneless pork loin roast (about 5 pounds)
(Rindless and with fat trimmed to a thin layer)
2 tsp dried sage leaves
2 tsp olive oil
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
15g fresh white bread crumbs (1/4 cup)
10g of choped fresh parsley (1/4 cup)
For the applesauce:
4 large firm apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
120ml water (1/2 cup)
sugar to taste
3 TBS lemon juice




 Remove any string from the roast and trim off any fat to a thin layer.   Retie.  Place bottom side down on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  combine the sage and oil.  Rub this all over the roast.  Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.  Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. 


Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Roast the pork for one hour.  Remove from the oven.  Combine the bread crumbs and parsley.  Press this mixture onto the fat side of the roast.  Return to the oven and roast for a further hour to 1 1/4 hours, until the crumbs are crisp and golden and the pork registers a temperature of 71*C/160*F to 76*C/170*F.  Remove from the oven and leet stand, covered loosely with foil for about 15 minutes before carving. 


Make the applesauce while the pork is roasting. Place the apples and water into a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook, stirring often until the apples become tender and begin to break down, about 5 to 6 minutes.  Add sugar to taste and the lemon juice.  Stir to blend well.  Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and mash with a fork.  Set aside. 


Serve the pork hot and thinly sliced with the applesauce on the side.  I like to serve cheesy mash and green beans with this. 



I don't make any gravy for this.  I quite simply spoon some of the pan juices over top.  It's just perfect!  The leftovers are beautiful, cold,  sliced thinly and served in a sandwich with some horseradish mustard and and a little dab of applesauce. Bon Appetit!

2 comments

  1. I have always loved pork with apple sauce..and rotisseriechickenlol..
    I love sage w/ pork..and my family loved cold pork..young the thought of warm pork..yuck..but cold yum..I loved seeing hr bit of pink:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cold pork, must be a French Canadian thing Monique! Which is probably why my father preferred it that way! I love it cold in a sandwich, but I just love sandwiches any way! xo

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you so do not be shy!


BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT OR RATING, ASK YOURSELF:
Did you make the recipe as directed? Recipe results are not guaranteed when changes have been made.

Is this comment helpful to other readers? Rude or hateful comments will not be approved. Remember that this website is run by a real person.

Are you here to complain about ads? Please keep in mind that I develop these recipes and provide them to you for free. Advertising helps to defray my cost of doing so, and allows me to continue to post regular fresh content.

Thanks so much for your understanding! I appreciate you!