Cranberry Glazed Pork Roast

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I love the taste and flavor of pork, as well as the ease with which it can be prepared. Chops and tenderloins are perfectly sized for today's smaller families and even the larger loins can be cut to prevent endless leftovers. Pork is also inexpensive. Our warehouse store sells large single loins for about $2 a pound. Most of the loins weigh 8 to 9 pounds each and can be cut into meal size portions that are more appropriate for today's families. I usually divide these loins into thirds and freeze them for later use as whim dictates. Unfortunately, I usually spend the money I save buying meat this way on ingredients with which to sauce it. When I prepare a loin for roasting, I tie the meat into a cylinder of uniform size and brown it before roasting. I cook my pork loin to an internal temperature of 140 degrees. When I take it out of the oven, I tent it in foil and let it sit for another 15 minutes. The roast continues to cook and at the end of the rest period it will reach 150 - 155 degrees, a perfect temperature for pork. I've been experimenting with cranberries lately and I wanted to use them to make a glaze that could be used for pork or chicken. I finally have come up with one I think is acceptable and a somewhat different than standard fare. It is a bit pricey, but it is wonderfully flavorful and will give your palate a joyful jolt. I've left the berries whole for the photograph, but the sauce can be strained and you may actually prefer to use it that way. Here's the recipe for cranberry glazed roast pork.

Cranberry Glazed Roast Pork...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Glaze
1 (12-oz.) bag fresh cranberries
1/3 cup chopped fresh ginger
Zest and juice of 1 large orange
1 cup sugar
1-1/4 cups cranberry juice
1/4 cup orange liqueur
Roast
1 ( 2-1/2 to 3 pound) center cut boneless pork loin
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided use
4 teaspoons coarse garlic salt
2 teaspoons coarsely cracked fresh pepper
2 teaspoons dried marjoram

Directions:
1) To prepare glaze: Combine cranberries, ginger, sugar, orange zest and orange and cranberry juices in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and cook until cranberries burst and sauce thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes. If you wish, strain through a fine mesh sieve and allow to cool. When cool add orange liqueur.
2) To prepare roast: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using kitchen twine, tie roast at 1-inch intervals to form a cylinder of uniform circumference. Rub all surface of roast with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Rub cylinder with all of salt pepper and marjoram. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large, heavy ovenproof skillet. Add pork and sear all surfaces well. Brush pork with glaze. Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 15 minutes. Brush again with glaze and cook for another 20 minutes, or until pork reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees. Remove from oven. Brush again with glaze, tent with foil and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Yield: 6 servings.

You might also like these recipes:
Maple Rosemary Glazed Pork - What's Cookin, Chicago?
Pork Tenderloin with Honey Glazed Apples -Food and Whine
Pan Roasted Pork Chops with Cranberries and Swiss Chard - Dinner Du Jour
Slow Cooker Pork Chops - The Hungry Housewife
Roast Pork Tenderloin with Pears and Figs - Verses from my Kitchen
Pork Milanese - Bored Cook in the Kitchen

Mustard Glazed Potatoes

I love potatoes, but it's hard to find potato recipes that are scaled to smaller families. Sometimes you have to be creative. This recipe requires some attention, but if you're looking for something to make a roast chicken or grilled steak sing, you'll love these glazed potatoes. The ingredients are easy to obtain and the recipe is simple to prepare. One caution - keep your eye on them because the potatoes blacken quickly. Brown is good, black is not. The potatoes are prepared in two stages. They initially cook in a microwave but are glazed, stovetop, in a heavy skillet. Total cooking time is about 30 minutes. The potatoes must cook in a single layer, so avoid the temptation to work with more than a pound of potatoes at a time. You're going to like these.

Mustard Glazed Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 pound tiny Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and unpeeled
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
1 tablespoon vermouth or white wine (optional)
2 tablespoons reduced sodium chicken broth + broth for thinning marinade
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Directions:
1) Place a single layer of potatoes in bottom of a large (12-inch) microwavable container that has a lid. Add 3 tablespoons of water to pan; cover and microwave on HIGH for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Drain.
2) While potatoes cook, place mustard, 2 tablespoons oil, vermouth, chicken broth, garlic rosemary and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
3) Add potatoes to sauce; toss with a wooden spoon to coat all surfaces.
4) Heat reserved 1 tablespoon oil in a large (12-inch) skillet. When oil begins to shimmer, add contents of bowl containing potatoes to pan and cook over medium-high heat until potatoes are glazed and brown. Add more chicken broth if pan becomes too dry. Garnish with chopped parsley. Yield: 4 servings.