I bet you could replace the whole sage with fresh thyme in both or either parts of this recipe with good results. And if you don’t want to go to the trouble of making the glaze, I’m thinking that a little chicken stock heated with some orange marmalade or apricot preserves, to make it a little more spreadable, might be just as good. The measurements given were for a small roast, but it’d be easy enough to feed a larger crowd with increased quantities and a heavier roast.
Glaze:
½ small onion, sliced
5-10 whole sage leaves
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
1 cup pomegranate juice
2 cloves garlic, bruised
¼ cup dried cranberries
In a saucepan, brown the onion with the sage leaves and coriander seeds in a little olive oil. Once softened, add the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Lower the head and, simmer for 20 minutes, until the liquid is reduced to a¼ cup. Strain and cool.
Roast :
½ small onion
5-10 whole sage leaves, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup cornbread, broken into small chunks
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
¼ cup chicken stock. white wine, or water
salt & pepper
2 lb. pork loin roast
In a small frying pan, soften the onions, garlic, and red bell pepper. Allow it to cool, and move it to a bowl, then break up the cornbread, and add the rest, (except for the salt, pepper and meat). Mix gently to combine.
Take the roast and carefully slice it so you make a ½ inch thick flap of meat on the top, being careful not to cut all the way through. Turn your knife, and slice it again in the opposite direction, so you make another ½ inch flap on the bottom side. Unfold it, and keep slicing until you have, roughly, a ½ inch thick rectangle of meat. Generously salt and pepper, and slather on the cornbread stuffing mixture. Roll the meat back up, and tie with butcher’s twine. (Don’t worry if a good deal of the stuffing oozes out as you do this.
Preheat the oven to 325°, and heat up an oven safe (cast iron) frying pan on the stove top. Add a little olive oil, and once it starts shimmering, brown the roast over medium high heat, turning it every 4 or 5 minutes … about 15 minutes total. Once you turn it to the last side, put the pan into the oven, and let it roast for 30 minutes. Remove it, and check the temperature, and glaze it on all sides. Return it to the oven, and repeat the glazing step every 20 minutes until the roast has the internal temperature of 150°. Remove the roast from the oven, and let it rest, covered with foil, for another 10 or 15 minutes. Remove the twine, and cut into ½ inch slices.
