ROAST PORK LOIN WITH AUTUMN VEGGIES AND CARAMELISED APPLES

- METHOD -

To make the pork loin:

Pre-heat your oven to 240˚C. To prepare the pork loin roast, rub it with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Dust it liberally with Cape Herb & Spice Texan Steakhouse Rub, taking care especially to work it into the slits in the rind. Place the quartered onions and garlic clove in an oven-proof roasting dish and place the pork loin roast on top of the onions, ensuring that the rind side faces out. Place the roast in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 200˚C, add a quarter cup of water to the roasting dish and continue roasting.

Once the roast has been in the oven for a total of 55 minutes, it’s time to start checking how done it is. Simply insert a meat thermometer into the middle of the roast to check the temperature. It will be perfectly done once the internal temperature in the thickest part of the roast reaches 62˚C (remember it will continue cooking for a while as it rests). Roast it a few minutes more if need be, but do check the internal temperature every five minutes from this point on as it’s so easy to overcook pork. Once cooked, remove and cover the loin with foil to rest. NB: Do not throw away the liquid in the roasting dish, the meat juices combined with the juices of the sweet roasted onions will have formed a wonderful jus that you’ll be serving with the pork.

To make the veggies:

Assuming you have two oven racks, the oven-roast veggies can be done at the same time as the loin. Simply wash and peel/slice the veggies any way you want. Drizzle over a tablespoon or two of olive oil and toss to coat all the veggies in oil. Tumble the veggies onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and give it a few twists of salt and pepper. The veggies will take about 45 minutes to roast, so only put them in the oven 20 minutes after the loin. Check them from time to time and if they are roasted before the loin is done, simple remove the tray and cover with tin foil to keep the veggies warm.

To make the caramelised apples:

The apples take less than ten minutes to make, so only do them just before you serve. Melt the butter over low heat in a non-stick saucepan and place the apples, cut side down in the pan. Cook over medium low heat for five minutes, then add the honey and cook for a further 3-5 minutes until the apples are nicely caramelised.

To serve, plate up the loin on a large serving platter and surround with veggies and the caramelised apples. Serve the jus formed by the roasting juices in a small jug.

Recipe concept & photography by Lizet Hartley.

Lizet Hartley is a freelance stills and reel food stylist, food photographer and recipe developer. In her spare time she – rather predictably – cooks. Get more of her recipes on her blog at http://www.melkkos-merlot.co.za