Stuffed Pork Roast
Updates: Our plumbing problem is fixed! (If you have no idea what I’m talking about go back and read Monday’s post.) The problem turn out to be about 15-16 feet of pipe, under our house, that was extremely rusted causing all sorts of things to get stuck and eventually cause a major jam somewhere along the line. All 15-16 feet of pipe have been replaced with brand new, up to date pipe. And yes, it was expensive as suspected. However, everything in the house now seems to flush and drain properly, so I’m pretty sure that was the problem and that it has truly been corrected. Which is awesome because plumbing is stressful and now that it’s fixed we’re going to pretend like that whole deal never happened.
So… then… Stuffed Pork Roast.
I actually first encountered a stuffed pork roast at my Mother In Law’s house. I believe it was at a birthday dinner or something to that effect. I was totally in love right away! What’s not to like about a lovely pork loin with a beautiful spiral of sausage stuffed inside? It’s elegant and tasty! Plus, my M-I-L always serves her stuffed pork roast with Béarnaise sauce. (For those that don’t know this is a buttery sauce somewhat similar to Hollandaise.) So, obviously what’s not to like about that?
Ever since that first pork roast at my M-I-L I’ve been playing with variations on the dish. Today’s recipe is one of my favorites. It’s stuffed with flavorful Italian sausage and fresh baby spinach. The outside is crusted with lots of garlic, sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper. And I serve it all with a lovely au jus made from the roast itself and some broth. Not that I don’t love the Béarnaise, but an au jus cuts on calories quite a bit; and makes the meal healthy enough to serve on a more regular basis. Which is good, as it’s a total fave at our house! I’m sure it will become a fave at your’s as well.
Stuffed Pork Roast
- aprox. 3 lb. pork loin roast
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
- cooking twine
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
1. On a large cutting board place the roast with the short side facing you. Place a sharp knife about 1/2-inch from the top of the roast parallel to the cutting board, cut into a straight line across stopping about 1/2 inch before the far edge of the roast. Be very careful not to cut all the way through the other side of the roast. Change the angle of the knife so that you are cutting almost perpendicular to the cutting board. Rotate the roast as needed so that the cut portion begins to unfold. Continue cutting and unrolling the roast. Eventually you will have a large, thin, rectangular, and semi-flat piece of meat.
*Note: It may be helpful to cut about half way into the pork roast for each cut and then rotate to the opposite short side and repeat the cuts on that side.
2. Spread the baby spinach leaves out evenly over the rectangle leaving a 1/8 inch border along the edges. On top of the spinach forming another layer, evenly spread out the ground Italian sausage, also leaving a 1/8 inch border.
3. Starting from one of the long sides roll the pork roast up. This will form a spiral with the spinach and the sausage inside and pork loin on the outside. Use the kitchen twine to tie around the roast in 3-4 places depending on length. Tie tight. This will secure the roast and prevent it from opening up during cooking. Place the roast in an oven safe baking dish seam side down.
4. Evenly distribute the garlic, onion, sea salt, and black pepper over the outside of the roast.
5. Place the roast in the oven uncovered at 400*. Bake for about an hour, or until the top of the roast is golden brown. Remove the roast from the oven and add the chicken broth to the pan. Seal the pan tight with foil and return the pan to the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350* and cook for an additional 2-3 hours, or until tender. Serve hot with au jus from the pan.
FYI: In my pics, the pork inside doesn’t make a proper spiral because I ended up with a really tiny roast instead of the called for 3 lb. roast. The directions in the recipe will yield the elegant spiral.