NuM NuM

I love these kinds of meals. You just throw all the ingredients in one pot and dinner is served!! It's great when you can find a recipe that's a 2-fer: entree and side dishes in one pot. While dinner is cooking in the stove you can tidy up the house while awaiting your guests arrival.

I had my friends over for a potluck get together and this meal faired very well. The mustard marinade produced a great flavor throughout the pork and it still retained its juice and moistness. I tried to serve this with an apple chutney which would have been a nice compliment to the pork but it turned out utterly disgusting and I had to basically throw it all out. My friends tried to be nice and pick at it but it was not salvageable. I always get BURNED when I try a recipe that hasn't been reviewed by others...when am I going to learn! Unfortunately my friends had to be on the receiving end. I'm going to try a different recipe tonight which will hopefully be better and if it's good, I'll put it on the bloggy :)

Pork loin with roasted vegetables
From Barefoot Contessa

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 1/2 teaspoon table salt OR 1
tablespoon of Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 (3-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed and tied
• 3 small fennel bulbs, tops removed
• 8 carrots, peeled, and thickly sliced diagonally – 1 1/2 inches thick
• 10 small potatoes (red or white-skinned), cut in quarters
• 2 yellow onions, thickly sliced – ½ inch slices
• 4 tablespoons good olive oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
With a mortar and pestle, or in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, grind together the garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and thyme leaves. Add the mustard. Spread the mixture over the loin of pork and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
(My version: Mince garlic and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and make into a paste with the back of your knife then add thyme leaves to the paste and continue to mash then mix with mustard. I let the marinade sit for two hours)

Meanwhile, cut the fennel bulbs in thick wedges, cutting through the core. Toss the fennel, carrots, potatoes, and onions in a bowl with salt, and pepper to taste. Place the vegetables in a large roasting pan and cook for 10 minutes. Add the pork loin to the pan and continue to cook for another 30 to 50 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the pork reads exactly 140 degrees. Remove the meat from the pan and return the vegetables to the oven to keep cooking. Cover the meat with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Remove the strings from the meat and slice it thickly. Arrange the meat and vegetables on a platter. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve warm

Notes: I only used two fennel bulbs and 3 carrots. After the pork was half way done cooking, I removed it and tossed the vegetables again and resprayed with PAM since they were looking a little dry. After the vegetables were done cooking I added more salt and pepper to taste.