Pork Loin Roasted with Veggies and Fresh Apples

Fresh apple toasted with panko crumbs makes a fresh and sweet toothy alternative to apple sauce. I learned this technique from Blue Apron who offer very clever recipes.

3/4 lb pork loin roast

Dry rub:

1 Tbsp paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp coriander

1/8 tsp salt

2 cups cauliflower flowerets

2 cups broccoli flowerets

dash crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp olive oil

Cheese sauce:

2 Tbsp butter plus 2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

1/8 lb grated cheddar cheese

1 red apple, cored and diced

1 Tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix together the dry rub ingredients in a medium bowl and toss in the roast to coat thoroughly.

Mix the broccoli and cauliflower with the pepper and oil in a bowl. Season with salt to taste. Toss well.

Place pork roast in one corner of a large rimmed baking sheet. Scatter the veggies in a single layer about the rest of the sheet.

Roast for about 20 minutes, until pork reaches an internal temperature of about 145F for medium. You can toss the veggies once during cooking to get even roasting.

Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in the oil in a sauce pan. Add the flour and whisk for a few minutes over medium heat until you achieve a nutty fragrance. Whisk in the milk and bring to a gentle boil, whisking almost constantly. Cook until sauce is thickened. Add cheese and allow to melt into sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove pork roast from the oven when cooked and allow to rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes covered with foil. Turn oven off and leave veggies in oven to keep warm.

While the pork rests, sauté the apple in the butter. After about 3-5 minutes, and the apple is beginning to brown, but not soften too much, add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.

Add the crumbs and cook another minute. Set apple garnish aside.

Slice pork.

Spoon some sauce on 2-3 plates. Top sauce with pork and garnish with apples. Serve with roasted veggies. Serves 2-3.

Cook’s note: I used 1/3 of a pork loin roast and had enough for two plus leftovers for a single lunch. You could use half a pork loin and probably serve 4. If you use bigger portions of roast, you probably should cut into pieces no thicker than 2 inches and place in sheet pan corners, so the pork cooks quickly enough with respect to the veggies.

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