Harvest Pork Loin with Currant Sauce

This butterflied pork loin shows a tasty spiral of stuffing when sliced. This dish makes a very special entrée for an elegant autumn or holiday dinner menu.

Recipe Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless pork loin

Stuffing:
1 pound pork sausage, uncooked
2 small tart green apples, peeled and cubed 1/4-inch
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 small turnip, shredded
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Currant Sauce:
1/4 cup currants
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 cup currant jelly
4 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Butterfly loin lengthwise; gently pound with meat mallet to a thickness of 1/4-inch.
3. For Stuffing: Combine sausage, apples, chopped yellow onion, carrots, turnip, 1 tablespoon rosemary and pepper well; spread the sausage mixture evenly over loin. Roll up loin; tie with butcher twine every 1/2-inch.
4. Brown roast in a large skillet and then remove to shallow roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until internal temperature (measured by a meat thermometer) reads 155°F (approximately 65°C). Let pork rest for 10 minutes before removing twine and slicing to serve.
5. For Currant Sauce: Soak currants in orange juice; set aside. In saucepan, simmer wine and minced onion; reduce to 1/2 cup and add currant jelly. Add beef broth and simmer to reduce again by half. Dissolve cornstarch in water, stir into sauce and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Stir in orange juice and currants and one tablespoon minced rosemary. Serve with sliced roast.

Makes 12 servings.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/12 of recipe): Calories 300 calories Protein 29 grams Fat 10 grams Sodium 760 milligrams Cholesterol 85 milligrams Saturated Fat 3 grams Carbohydrates 17 grams.

Recipe provided courtesy of National Pork Board.