8 servings kosher salt and pepper black freshly ground
8 servings olive oil extra-virgin
5 pound pork loin roast with rib bones attached, back bone removed
0.3 cup butter unsalted at room temperature
Equipment
bowl
frying pan
oven
knife
whisk
mixing bowl
baking pan
roasting pan
wooden spoon
stove
cutting board
apple corer
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the pork roast in a roasting pan with the ribs facing up. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil with the sage and thyme to flavor the oil.
Brush the whole pork roast with the "herb bath" and season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Roast the pork loin for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is crackled. (
Put the apples in the oven along with the pork roast in the last half hour of cooking.)
Remove the pork roast to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Pour out some of the excess fat from the roasting pan and put it on the stove over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle the flour into the hot pan juices, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps. Cook and stir the roux until its light brown.
Add the cider and continue to stir to incorporate.
Pour in the chicken broth; boil and stir for 5 minutes until the sauce is thick; taste and check for salt and pepper.
Serve the cider gravy with the pork roast and baked apples.
To make the baked apples: Core the apples with an apple corer, making a good size cavity to hold the stuffing. In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, muffin crumbs, raisins, sage, garlic, 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Spoon the sweet and savory stuffing into the cavities of the cored apples; stand them up, side by side, in a baking dish and sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
Pour the cider around the apples and bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 375 degrees F, until soft when pierced with a knife.
Place the warm apples in the center of a round serving dish. Spoon the cider sauce around the apples and serve with the pork loin.
