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Sage and Cider Pork Roast

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This Sage and Cider Pork Roast is exactly the dish to make this holiday season for a few reasons; it’s delicious and amazingly simple. To be honest I don’t have too much experience cooking pork but decided to dive right in with this recipe. I was a little intimidated when looking through recipe ideas but let me tell you, this was actually so easy. And also looks beautiful.

cast-iron-sage-and-cider-pork

Choosing the right pork cut

For this Sage and Cider Pork recipe, I used a boneless pork roast. This is a cut from the loin resulting in a leaner cut. Don’t be intimidated by the cook time with this recipe either. Pork loin roast benefits from slow roasting in the oven or on the grill. The prep doesn’t take long at all and once you place it in the oven you just have to wait about an hour. With that being said, some pre-planning is required.

Cider and Sage Pork

For this recipe, the only equipment you really need is a cast iron pan, a cutting board, and a knife. Fewer pieces of equipment means less clean up right? The first step is creating a garlic rub for the pork. I minced garlic finely and then mixed it together with salt and pepper and used the back of a spoon to try and make it as close to a paste as possible. Don’t worry if it doesn’t exactly form a paste. The beauty of using one pan is that the garlic that doesn’t stick on the pork will stay in the pan and will be roasted along with the apples and onions.

sage-and-cider-pork
Points for only using one pan for this recipe meaning less to clean up!

The next step is searing the pork. This gives the pork a browned and flavorful crust. Cover the pork with the garlic spread and in a large cast-iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium to high heat. Add the roast and sear brown on all sides until you have a crispy crust. Once that is achieved you will remove the pork from the skillet.

Pairing apples with pork

Turning off the heat but keeping the skillet on the stovetop you will add the apples, onions, herbs, and apple cider. Since this recipe doesn’t use that much apple cider check out these Baked Apple Cider Donuts for another way to use apple cider or just pour yourself a glass!

Apples and pork are an excellent combination. I used Honeycrisp apples, a sweeter variety, which makes this dish have the perfect sweet and savory balance. Other great options would be Pinata or Golden Delicious.

honeycrisp-apples

Once you add the onion, apple, herbs, and apple cider to the skillet you are almost done! Just place the pork roast back in the pan on top of the mixture and drizzle with maple syrup and place in the oven. The most challenging part of this recipe might be waiting an hour for it to be done but this would also be a great time to make some sides to go along with this dish, may I suggest some Roasted Brussel Sprouts?!

Once you pull it out of the oven let the pork rest for 20 minutes. This allows juices to redistribute and prevents moisture from evaporating.

pork-recipe

You may also notice some of the apple and onions have stuck to the pan. This would be a great time to degalze the pan.

  • Pour about a cup of apple cider into the hot pan. As the liquid sizzles, use a wooden spoon to scrape along the entire bottom of the pan to loosen the fond. 
  • Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until it’s reduced by about half. 

This makes an excellent sauce to serve over top of the pork.

Sage and Cider Pork Roast
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Sage and Cider Pork Roast

Recipe by Ariel JohnstonCourse: Main Dishes, Recipes
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 
Total time

1

hour 

20

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 (3-4 lb) boneless pork loin roast

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 medium apples, Honeycrisp or Pink Lady, quartered

  • 1/2 cup apple cider

  • 1 large onion, cut into eighths

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 2 fresh rosemary sprigs

  • 2 fresh sage sprigs

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions

  • Heat oven to 400 F with rack arranged in the middle.
  • Use a knife or back of a spoon to scape and mash minced garlic and salt together until a paste is formed. Mix in cracked black pepper.
  • Trim the silverskin from the pork loin. Rub the garlic paste evenly over all sides of the pork loin.
  • Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan. Add in the pork roast and sear on all sides until it’s a deep golden-brown and easily releases from the pan, about 4 to 6 minutes per side. Once all the sides have browned, transfer the pork loin to a plate.
  • Turn off the heat but keep pan on the stove. Add butter, onion, apples, apple cider, sage, and rosemary to the pan. Drizzle with maple syrup.
  • Return pork loin to the pan on top of the onion, apple, and herb mixture. Pour in any accumulated juices from the plate.
  • Transfer the cast iron pan and it’s contents to the oven. Roast the pork loin for one hour until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork reads 145 F.
  • Remove pork loin from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes.
  • Slice the pork loin and serve with the onion, apples, and pan sauce.

Notes

  • Deglaze the pan if the skillet contains some of the onion and apple mixture that is stuck to the bottom. Pour about a cup of apple cider into the hot pan. As the liquid sizzles, use a wooden spoon to scrape along the entire bottom of the pan to loosen the fond. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until it’s reduced by about half. 

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