Roast Pork Loin

Today’s pork is so lean that a loin can become dry if roasted to an internal temperature higher than 150 degrees or so (the temperature will rise while the meat rests).

Ingredients

• One 4-pound boneless pork loin, well trimmed of all fat, “silver skin” and sinew
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence (or garlic + herb and thyme)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 5 large Golden Delicious apples, peel on, each cored and cut into wedges (about 7 cups)
• ¼ teaspoon sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper and the herbes de Provence all over the pork, and rub in the seasonings so they adhere.
2. Set the baking dish over high heat with the butter and oil. When it is sizzling, lay in the roast and brown it over medium-high heat, turning it until nicely colored on all sides, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, lift the roast out of the baking dish and set it on a plate or cutting board.
3. Spread the apple slices in 1 layer in the dish and sprinkle the sugar and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper over them. Replace the roast on the bed of apples.
4. Set the dish in the oven and roast for about 1 to 1½ hours, basting occasionally with the juices in the dish.
5. After 50 minutes, start checking the internal temperature with a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loin.
6. Roast to a temperature of 150 degrees, remove the meat from the oven, and let rest for about 10 minutes.
7. Slice the pork crosswise into thin slices, and serve on top of the apples, right in the baking dish if you like. Or remove the roast to a cutting board, scoop the apples onto a large serving platter, and spread them to form a ring around the edge of the platter. Arrange pork slices and the remaining roast in the center, and serve.