Roasted Pork Loin with Apricot Stuffing and Rosemary Potatoes

Want to try something a little different than the traditional Christmas turkey or ham? This is an amazingly delicious meal that will soon become your new tradition!

Ingredients
3-3 ½ pound (center cut) boneless pork loin roast
8-10 red potatoes ~ quartered
1 ½ cups white bread ~ cut into ½ inch pieces
2 Tbs. butter
½ cup shallots ~ chopped
About 10 ounces canned apricots or 4 large apricots ~ chopped
1 ½ tsps. fresh rosemary ~ minced
1 clove garlic ~ minced
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Olive oil
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
4 Tbs. dry red cooking wine
½ cup water

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place your chopped bread onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven until browned on all sides.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan over low heat. Cook the shallots until they are soft; about 7-10 minutes. Add the chopped apricots and cook until softened; just a couple of minutes. Stir in the bread, 1 tsp of the minced rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Make a hole in your pork loin with a knife that goes all the way through. Use your fingers to make the hole wider to allow room for the stuffing; it should be about 1 ½ inches wide. Be careful not to tear through the hole. If this happens, use some cooking twine to keep the meat together to hold the stuffing. Again, use your fingers to stuff the pork with the stuffing. It’s easiest to work from both ends and push towards the middle. Season the outside of the pork with more salt and pepper. You can also use a little bit more rosemary on the outside if you want!

Heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Add the wine and brown the pork on all sides. Set the wine and oil mixture aside after browning the pork, you will use this later for a sauce.

Place your quartered potatoes into a bowl and use enough olive oil to coat them. Add the remaining ½ tsp. rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the potatoes in the bowl to coat them in the seasonings.

Coat the bottom of your roasting pan with olive oil. Place the pork loin in the center, and surround it with your potatoes. Roast in the oven for about 45-50 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

Remove everything from the pan. Let the pork stand for about 15-20 minutes, and keep the potatoes in the warm oven so they don’t get cold. Meanwhile, poor the wine into the roasting pan and place over the stove. Add the water and boil while scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.

Slice the meat and serve with the sauce poured over it.

Makes about 6-8 servings.