Pork Roast with Apples and Cider

Ingredients

0 of 12 out on the counter

• 1½ lb boneless pork loin roast, all visible fat trimmed off (buy about 1¾ lb; weigh 680 g of lean)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 firm apples (about 1½ lb), cored, cut into 8 wedges each
• 2 medium onions (about 12 oz), cut into wedges
• 6 medium carrots (about 12 oz), peeled, cut into chunks
• 1½ cups apple cider, divided
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp cold water

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 425 °F. Trim every bit of visible fat off the pork and throw it away, then weigh 680 g (1½ lb) of lean; that weighed lean is what the card counts. Pat it dry. Mix the salt, pepper, sage and garlic powder and rub it on all sides. If the roast has no netting, tie it with kitchen twine every 2 inches so it keeps its shape.
2. 2Put the apples, onions and carrots in a roasting pan and toss with the oil. Set the pork on top. Pour 1 cup of the cider around it.
3. 3Roast 15 minutes to brown the top. Turn the oven down to 350 °F and roast until the center reads 145 °F on an instant-read thermometer, 40 to 50 minutes more. Stir the apples and carrots once.
4. 4Move the pork to a board and rest it at least 3 minutes before slicing; 10 is better. The temperature keeps climbing off the heat. Keep the apples, onions and carrots warm in the pan.
5. 5Scrape the pan juices and vegetables into a saucepan with the remaining ½ cup cider. Boil 5 to 8 minutes, a little longer a mile up where water boils at about 203 °F, until reduced by a third.
6. 6Stir the cornstarch into the cold water and whisk it in. Boil 1 minute until glossy. Slice the pork and serve with the apples, onions, carrots and sauce; the sauce is counted, so spoon all of it over the six plates.
7. 7Cool leftovers no more than 2 hours, then refrigerate. Reheat to 165 °F.