October is that transitional time of year, the leaves are beginning to fall, the weather is cooling and I’ve pulled the sweaters out of storage. I’m ready to cover up the grill and move onto to hearty roasts and vegetables, but I’m not quite ready for thick soups and heavy stews. So a perfect piece of pork surrounded by fall produce fits the bill perfectly.
I love that this dish is beautiful to serve, with perfectly roasted meat and an array of colorful fall vegetables, but could not be easier to prepare. A little work for a lot of reward. The sauce is rich and creamy with a nice sweet-sharp tang from the hard cider. I use a Woodchuck Amber cider, and serve the rest of the six-pack with the meal.


- 2 pound boneless pork roast
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 medium apples
- 2 small red onions
- 1 cup hard apple cider (alcoholic)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Preheat the oven to 450°. Rub the outside of the pork roast generously with salt and pepper. Coat the bottom of a stovetop and oven safe roasting pan with 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Heat the oil in the pan, placing it over two burners if necessary, then sear the pork until lightly browned on all sides. Transfer the roasting dish to the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
- Peal the sweet potatoes and cut in half vertically, then in wedges. Core the apples and cut into wedges, then cut the onions into wedges as well. Place everything in a large ziptop bag and pour in the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil and generous sprinkles of salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables around to coat with the olive oil and seasoning.
- After the first fifteen minutes of cooking, spread the oiled vegetables around the pork in the roasting pan and cook until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 140° internal temperature, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the roasting pan from the oven and transfer the pork to a cutting board. Cover with foil and leave to rest. Remove the vegetables to a platter. Place the roasting tin on the stove (over two burners again if needed) over medium high heat. Pour in the apple cider and use a spatula to scrape up all the delicious browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring the cider to a boil and cook until reduced and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the cream and continue cooking until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Slice the pork and serve with the roasted vegetables and the sauce.
Leave a Reply