Braised Pork Roast With Apple-Brandy Sauce

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup apple juice undiluted thawed
• 0.5 cup celery chopped
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch 
• 1 tablespoon rubbed sage dried
• 1.5 teaspoons thyme dried
• 1 pound apples i use 2 granny smith apples peeled chopped
• 10.5 ounce chicken broth canned
• 1 teaspoon butter 
• 2 cups onion chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper divided
• 2.5 pound pork loin 
• 1 teaspoon salt divided
• 1 tablespoon water 
• 0.5 cup frangelico (apple brandy)
• 0.5 cup frangelico (apple brandy)

Equipment

• frying pan
• oven
• kitchen thermometer
• aluminum foil
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Unroll roast; trim fat.
2. Combine sage, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; rub inside surface of roast with one-third of sage mixture. Reroll roast, securing at 1-inch intervals with heavy string. Rub outside surface of roast with remaining sage mixture.
3. Preheat oven to 42
4. Place a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot.
5. Add roast; brown on all sides.
6. Remove roast from pan; set aside. Melt margarine in pan.
7. Add onion and celery, and saut 5 minutes. Return roast to pan.
8. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, apple juice, applejack, and broth; pour over roast.
9. Insert a meat thermometer into thickest portion of roast. Cover and bake at 425 for 20 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 325 (do not remove roast from oven), and bake 30 minutes.
10. Add apple; cover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160 (slightly pink).
11. Remove roast from pan, reserving cooking liquid.
12. Place roast on a platter; cover with foil.
13. Let stand 10 minutes.
14. Combine water and cornstarch, and stir into reserved cooking liquid. Bring mixture to a boil, and cook 1 minute or until sauce is slightly thick.
15. Serve sauce with pork.
16. Note: Use 1 cup apple juice concentrate and omit apple brandy, if desired.