Cider-Brined Roast Pork with Sweet Potatoes and Apples
BRINE
- Two 12-ounce bottles hard apple or pear cider
- ½ cup table salt
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 4½ cups ice water
- One 4-pound center-cut pork loin with bones (6 ribs)
- 2 white-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into sixths
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup hard apple or pear cider
- 1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade, or use low-sodium canned broth
Instructions:
This one-pot meal will fill your kitchen with the appetite-arousing meaty aroma of roasting pork and the fragrance of caramelizing root vegetables.
- To make the brine, about 8 hours before roasting the pork, bring the cider, salt, brown sugar, rosemary, sage, thyme, fennel seed, peppercorns, and bay leaves to a simmer in a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the salt. Transfer to a large deep bowl and let cool until tepid. Add the ice water and stir well. Add the pork to the brine. Cover and refrigerate, turning the pork occasionally in the brine, for at least 4 and up to 6 hours, but no longer.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450°F.
- Drain the pork and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the pork in a roasting pan, meaty side up. Roast for 45 minutes.
- Toss the sweet potatoes and apples together with the vegetable oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spread around the pork and stir with the juices in the pan to coat. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the roast reads 140°F, about 40 minutes more. Transfer the pork to a platter and tent it with aluminum foil. Let stand for 10 to 20 minutes while roasting the sweet potatoes and apples.
- Stir the sweet potatoes and apples and continue roasting until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a serving bowl, sprinkle with the rosemary, and toss gently. Scatter around the pork on the platter and cover again with foil to keep warm while making the sauce.
- Leaving any browned bits in the pan, pour out the fat. Place the pan over medium heat. Add the butter and let melt. Whisk in the flour and let bubble until very lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cider, then the stock, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened and no taste of raw flour remains, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a sauceboat.
- Carve the roast and serve hot with the sweet potatoes and apples, and the sauce on the side.