Roast Stuffed Pork Loin with Port Sauce

Ingredients

• 1.3 teaspoons pepper black divided freshly ground
• 3 pound pork loin boneless trimmed
• 1 cup breadcrumbs toasted
• 2 tablespoons butter divided
• 2 tablespoons canola oil divided
• 2.5 cups chicken stock see divided (such as Swanson)
• 0.5 cup cherries dried coarsely chopped
• 0.8 cup fennel bulb finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon flour all-purpose
• 1 tablespoon sage fresh divided chopped
• 2  sage fresh
• 1.5 teaspoons thyme sprigs fresh chopped
• 2 large garlic clove minced
• 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt divided
• 0.5 cup onion finely chopped
• 1 cup port wine 
• 1  shallots peeled quartered
• 2  thyme sprigs 
• 2 tablespoons water 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• oven
• knife
• whisk
• sieve
• plastic wrap
• roasting pan
• kitchen thermometer
• meat tenderizer
• kitchen twine

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 40
2. Combine port and cherries in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 4 minutes.
3. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes.
4. Drain cherries in a sieve over a bowl, reserving cherries and port.
5. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.
6. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat.
7. Add fennel and onion; cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are almost tender, stirring occasionally.
8. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
9. Combine fennel mixture, cherries, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Melt 1 tablespoon butter.
10. Drizzle the melted butter and 1/4 cup stock over bread mixture, and toss. Stir in 2 teaspoons chopped sage, chopped thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
11. Cut horizontally through center of pork, cutting to, but not through, other side using a sharp knife; open flat, as you would a book.
12. Place pork between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to an even 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small, heavy skillet.
13. Brush 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over inside of pork; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
14. Spread bread mixture evenly over pork, leaving a 1/2-inch border around outside edges.
15. Roll up pork, jelly-roll fashion, starting with short side. Secure at 2-inch intervals with twine.
16. Brush outside of pork with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle all sides of pork evenly with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
17. Heat a large skillet over high heat.
18. Add pork to pan; cook 8 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.
19. Place pork on a roasting rack coated with cooking spray; place rack in a roasting pan.
20. Pour remaining 2 1/4 cups stock in bottom of roasting pan. Roast pork at 400 for 45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in center of pork registers 13
21. Remove pork from pan; let stand 15 minutes.
22. Cut crosswise into 12 slices.
23. Place roasting pan over medium-high heat; add reserved port, thyme sprigs, sage leaves, and shallot; bring to a boil. Cook until liquid is reduced to 1 cup (about 10 minutes).
24. Combine flour and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
25. Add flour mixture to port mixture, stirring with a whisk; cook 5 minutes or until port mixture begins to thicken.
26. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, stirring until butter melts. Strain sauce; discard solids. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon chopped sage, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
27. Serve sauce with pork.