Maple-Mustard Pork Loin

I made this pork roast for Jerod a week ago and it was a hit! Secretly I was not excited about the bacon portion, BUT it was an excuse to use my new roasting pan (thanx Sandy and Barbara!). It is super easy to make. It also made me feel like a real cook because I used kitchen twine for the first time! Please excuse how horrible the pictures are... I'm not a photographer in any way!

I tweaked the original recipe so I could use up the carrots I always seem to have in the fridge. And Jerod and I really like garlic so I added more on top of the roast before I put the bacon on top. It came from the February 2009 Everyday with Rachel Ray. Normally she is not my favorite chef because everything she does seems so complicated, but the more I'm cooking the easier things are getting so I picked this magazine up again and found this to try.

You need:
1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp Maple Syrup
1/4 C Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp chopped Fresh rosemary plus 4 whole sprigs
Garlic, smashed and peeled
2 lb boneless pork loin (I think I paid like $6.80 for this at Trader Joe's)
5 pieces of bacon cut in half
1 package fingerling potatoes (from Trader Joe's, their so buttery!), cut in half
1/2 lb carrots (1 lb is like 89 cents at Trader Joe's), cut about same size as potatoes
Salt and Pepper

Combine the pork loin, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard, 2 tbsp chopped rosemary, some salt and pepper. Seal the bag and kind of rub the mixture all over the pork. I usually put the bag in a 13x9 pyrex dish so if the bag breaks I don't have mess in my fridge. You can leave the pork in for a about an hour to marinate.

Preheat the oven to 375F. I put tinfoil on the bottom of my pan and then place the 4 sprigs of rosemary at the center of a roasting pan. Spread them out so you can have them spread out evenly under the pork loin. Then take kitchen twine and place it over the rosemary. Place the pork loin as evenly as possible over the twine and rosemary. Place the bacon pieces over the pork loin and try and cover the whole top. Use more bacon if you need to. Then tie the strings to secure everything and trim the ends. Then toss the potatoes and carrots around the pork loin and drizzle them with remaining olive oil. Season everything with salt and pepper and throw it all in the oven! Check the internal temperature, should be at 150. Let rest about 10 minutes before slicing.



Can you tell I like Trader Joe's? I love that grocery store. I love grocery stores in general but Trader Joe's is my favorite in the US.

Well enjoy! Here is the finished product; its not the best picture but you see the bacon is all crispy and the meat is really juicy :-)


dmj