You are in:  Women's Institute > What we do > Recipes > Meat recipes > Roast pork loin with roasted apples & bacon, apple & hyssop stuffing >

Roast loin of pork with roasted apples and bacon, apple and hyssop stuffing

Hyssop, one of the less common herbs, goes particularly well with meats, especially pork and lamb, and with fruits such as apples, apricots and peaches. If you don’t grow it in your garden, use a mixture of mint and thyme—especially lemon thyme if you have it—in its place. Rosemary roast potatoes go well with this dish.
Roast loin of pork with roasted apples and bacon, apple and hyssop stuffing for a Sunday roast with a difference. To create a memorable meal just add a selection of well cooked fresh, seasonal vegetables and cider gravy made with the meat juices.

Ingredients:

1.3kg/3lb (approx) boned loin of pork, unrolled and skin removed
50g/2oz butter
4 firm dessert apples
300ml/10 fl oz cider
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

For the bacon, apple and hyssop stuffing
25g/1oz butter
6 rashers rindless streaky
bacon, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
80g/3oz celery, finely chopped
1 cox’s apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
80g/3oz fresh white breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons chopped hyssop
1/2 beaten egg

For the rosemary roast potatoes
1 kg/21/4 lb floury potatoes, peeled
leaves from 2 sprigs rosemary
10 small garlic cloves, unpeeled
80ml/3 fl oz olive oil

Method:

  1. For the stuffing: melt the butter in a frying pan, add the bacon and cook until very lightly browned.
  2. Add the onion and celery and fry gently for 5 minutes until the onion is soft and lightly coloured.
  3. Add the cox’s apple and fry for a further minute. Tip the mixture into a bowl and leave to cool, then stir in the breadcrumbs, hyssop and some seasoning to taste.
  4. Stir in the beaten egg so that just binds the mixture together.
  5. Lay the piece of pork skinned-side down on a board and make a long shallow pocket into the thick ‘eye’ of the meat.
  6. Shape the stuffing into a fat sausage and lay it down the centre of the meat, so that part of it goes inside the pocket.
  7. Roll up the pork tightly and tie several times along its length with string.
  8. Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8. Weigh the pork (it should now weigh about 1.6k/31/2 lb) then place it skinned-side up in a large, lightly oiled roasting tin. Season with salt and pepper.
  9. Roast for 20 mins, then lower the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and continue to roast for 25 mins per 450g/1lb (about 11/2 hours) or until the internal temperature is 75°C/170°F if using a meat thermometer.
  10. Cut the potatoes into 2cm/3/4 in pieces and toss in a roasting tin with the rosemary leaves, garlic cloves, oil and some salt and pepper.
  11. Roast for 1 hour, turning them over now and then so that they brown evenly.
  12. 30 mins before the pork is ready, quarter, core and peel the 4 dessert apples.
  13. Melt the butter in a pan, add the apples and some seasoning and toss together gently.
  14. Spoon the apples round the pork and return the tin to the oven for the remainder of the cooking time.
  15. Remove the pork from the oven to a serving dish, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 10 mins.
  16. Lift out the apples on to a plate, cover keep warm.
  17. Place the roasting tin over the heat, add the cider and bring to the boil, scraping up all the caramelised juices from the base of the pan with wooden spoon. Strain into clean pan, season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer vigorously for 10 mins or until reduced to a well flavoured gravy.
  18. Carve the pork across into slices and serve with the roasted apples, rosemary roast potatoes, cider gravy and a green vegetable such as sautéed cabbage.

If you are interested in gardening or cooking why not check out the residential courses available at the WI's Denman College? cources run for 2,3 and 4 days and the college is open also to non-members.