Today, holiday meal ideas are more varied than ever, giving us lots of opportunities to break with tradition and try something new! If you’re looking to make a change to the typical Christmas dinner menu — which usually stars a main course of turkey, ham or prime rib — give pork tenderloin a try.
Throughout America, pork has long been a popular meat choice for meals, and pork loin is one of the most versatile cuts.
But how can you make it truly special enough for a Christmas dinner?
One great way to prepare roast pork loin is to enhance it with the richness of seasonal flavors. By using a boneless pork loin, you’ll create both an eye- and palate-pleasing main course meat roll as the centerpiece for your holiday table.
ALSO TRY: Roasted pork tenderloin with apples
This recipe provides all you need to make a roasted pork loin roll that is delectably memorable. What’s the secret? Dried fruit.
Dried fruit is known for its concentrated flavors, which burst forth when used in cooking. Combine the zestiness of ripened fruit — cherries, figs and apricots — with a little extra punch from wine and cinnamon, and the resulting fruit stuffing compliments the pork loin roast to seasonal perfection.
One more tip: If you want a nice crispy crust on the outside of your pork loin, be sure that the oven is fully heated before placing it back in for the final 40 to 50 minutes.
Roast pork loin with dried fruits
Yield 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup dried figs, cut in half
- 1 cup dried apricots, cut in half
- 2-1/2 cups merlot or cabernet sauvignon red wine
- 3 sticks cinnamon
- 2-1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1-1/2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
- 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3-1/2- to 4-pound boneless pork loin roast
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In small saucepan, place dried fruit, wine and cinnamon sticks, and bring to boil.
- Remove from heat and allow to steep for 20–30 minutes.
- Strain fruit, reserving liquid. Discard cinnamon sticks.
- In small bowl, mix rosemary, parsley, salt, pepper and garlic.
- Rub 2 tablespoons of mixture on inside of roast.
- Layer with dried fruit and roll roast tightly into a log. Tie with butchers’ twine to keep pork loin securely together.
- Rub outside of roast with extra-virgin olive oil and remaining herb mixture.
- Pour 1/2 cup of reserved wine liquid in bottom of roasting pan.
- Place roast on V-rack set in roasting pan.
- Roast pork loin for 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325 F.
- Continue to roast until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees, about 40–50 minutes.
- Remove from oven and loosely drape with aluminum foil.
- For juiciest tenderloin, let meat rest for 10–15 minutes before carving.
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