The Holidays!

Sandy Zielinski, New England Cooks Co-Host.  

So inspired by our show last week that I decided to cook and share a recipe as a way of practicing for the upcoming season. 

In many families, the holiday meal tradition are meals that stay the same from year to year, and there can be quite an outcry if anything changes.  In our family, we are always trying something new, and over the next few weeks, I will share some of the changes we've made to the holiday meal.

Let's talk about a recent favorite, Roast Loin of Pork with Root Vegetables Roasted with Sage and Thyme.

Ingredients
3-to-4 pounds boneless pork loin
Maple garlic mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 loaf fresh French bread, broken into chunks
2-to-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh parsley
Peeled root vegetables (carrots, onions, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, turnips)

Preparation
Cut up the peeled root vegetables.  Add fresh sage and thyme, to season.

Rub the pork with maple garlic mustard, salt, and pepper.

For the bread crumb mix, combine the French bread, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. 

Roll the roast in the bread crump mix.

Braise the roast in a hot frying pan with oil, until each side is golden brown.

Place the roast on top of the vegetables and bake at 375 degrees F for 1-to-1 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the meat reads 160 degrees F.

Remove the roast and vegetables to a warm platter.

What a handsome platter this is when you thinly slice the delicate pork tenderloin and show off the roasted root vegetables!

Next Up 
Watch for my next blog when we put a new twist making cheese balls a festive appetizer!