Sunday Dinner: Roast Pork Loin with Garlic & Rosemary

This past summer, Jake’s brother Will (working with Community Cooperative Farms) took the first steps toward converting their family's New Marlborough land back into a working farm. He started with a small herd; seven hens, a rooster, and three pigs. After a full season we were lucky enough to see one of those pigs slaughtered at the North Plain Farm Pig to Pork demo and since then, the pig has been further broken down and waiting for us in an enormous freezer in the Berkshires.

This weekend, after a month or so of salivating, we finally got to taste the fruits of Will’s labor. And man-o-man, was it awesome! We're really starting to realize that there's nothing like cooking and eating a product you've seen grow from start to finish. It's a new and inspiring feeling for us - and a kind of satisfaction we hope to enjoy meal after meal in the upcoming years.

In general, pork loin roasts are tricky. They are easy to dry out, and because of that, they are often covered in a protective layer of jam, preserves or bacon. But we wanted to really taste the pork in all it's porkiness so we risked keeping it simple. With just a little salt, pepper, garlic, and some rosemary we seared the roast and threw it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. It came out moist and flavorful, the perfect centerpiece for a January meal! 

Thanks so much to Will for a meal we won't quickly forget. Here's to next year's pig! 

Roast Pork Loin with Garlic and Rosemary

+ 4 pound pork loin, bone-in

+ 5 cloves of garlic, sliced in slivers

+ 1 sprig of rosemary

+ 1 large onion, quartered

+ coarse grain sea salt

+ freshly ground pepper

1. Let roast come to room temperature, meanwhile preheat oven to 400.

2. Pat pork dry with paper towel. Using a small knife, cut small nicks into the pork, stuffing them with the garlic and rosemary. Rub the pork all over with salt.

3. In a heavy cast iron pan on a high heat, sear the pork on all sides - 2 minutes per side.

4. Lay the roast in the pan, bone side down. Arrange the onion around the roast and place in oven. It will take about 25 minutes per pound, or about 1 ¾ hrs. When the center of the pork has reached 140 degrees, it's finished. Remove from oven and let stand for ten minutes.

Serves 6