HOLIDAY PIGGY ROLL (CRANBERRY STUFFED PORK LOIN)

INGREDIENTS
Pork
1 4 to 5 lb boneless pork loin roast
butcher’s string (100% cotton, not dyed)
salt and pepper

Stuffing
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
3 to 5 cloves of garlic finely minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic or herbed vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
2 tbsp raw honey
6 to 8 oz dried cranberries

Gravy
10 oz chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp pre-sifted flour

PREPARATION
Heat the olive oil and sauté the onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the onions become golden brown at the edges. Add the garlic, reduce heat to medium and continue stirring for five minutes. Add the vinegar and simmer for five minutes. Add the red wine, honey and cranberries and simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed (about 15 minutes). Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the pork.

Preheat oven to 325°. Butterfly the pork loin as if you are opening a book flat. Use the smooth end of a meat hammer to flatten the loin until it is 1” thick. Salt and pepper the fat side and flip over so that the unseasoned side is up. Spread cranberry mixture all over the unseasoned side. Roll the loin from the long end and use the butcher’s string to tie about every two inches. Place pork roll on rack of roasting pan and roast uncovered for about 1.5 hours, turning once during cooking.

Remove the roast from the pan and wrap in aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy. Strain the liquid from roasting pan, being sure to remove any loose cranberries or chunks that are burned or may burn easily. Pour the strained liquid back into the roasting pan and make the gravy right there in the roasting pan on your stovetop over medium heat. Add the presifted flour to the liquid until it’s blended. Add the chicken broth and scrape all those lovely brown bits on the bottom of the pan into the broth. Add the white wine and reduce for about ten minutes. Add the honey and reduce until the gravy is slightly thickened and syrupy in texture.

Cut the strings out of your pork loin and slice into 1” thick sections. Let your eaters ladle their own gravy to their individual tastes.

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
Santa left a little Better Homes and Gardens cookbook in my stocking this year and I came across a recipe for a stuffed pork loin. Of course, I had to monkey with the recipe and make it my own as I always do—and the results were really excellent. The biggest challenge for me was that I had a head cold and could barely taste anything. But both my mother and brother were happy to help me out in that department. This dish would make an excellent substitute for the traditional holiday turkey or ham. I served it with salad, soft dinner rolls, homemade gravenstein applesauce and oven-roasted Yukon gold potatoes. The gravy was a great accent for the potatoes too. It was a real crowd pleaser and will probably usurp the turkey at Christmas dinner next year.

CHEF’S NOTES
Depending upon the length of your loin roll and the dimensions of your roaster, you may have to cut the roll in half.

For those of you who worry about undercooked meat, feel free to use a meat thermometer. Pork should reach 155° while cooking. If you are cooking a smaller or larger roast, a meat thermometer will help you adjust the cooking time.

DIETER’S INFORMATION
This is a fairly low fat dish, especially if you opt for a leaner loin cut. It’s also fairly low on carbs so it would work well as the entrée in a low carb dinner—try serving it with grilled asparagus and a big salad.