irish pork roast with roasted root vegetables

Pork

Irish Pork Roast with Roasted Root Vegetables

In this easy one-pan dinner, boneless pork loin roast is cooked over a bed of carrots and parsnips for an all-in-one dish that makes an impressive centerpiece for a holiday meal or Sunday dinner. Choose free-range heritage pork if you can—its flavor really shines with no more seasoning than a bit of thyme and a little sea salt. If you'd like, dress up the meal with a traditional Irish apple condiment—ploughman's chutney or Bramley applesauce, which you can find in specialty stores and online.

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ½ pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
¾ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
2 pounds boneless pork loin roast, preferably free-range heritage pork
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup dry hard cider
ploughman's chutney or bramley applesauce for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Toss carrots and parsnips in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon thyme and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Spread evenly in a roasting pan. Rub pork with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and season with the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place the pork, fat-side up, on top of the vegetables.
Roast, stirring the vegetables occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork registers 145°F, 50 to 65 minutes.
Transfer the pork to a clean cutting board. Tent with foil and let rest for 15 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and stir in honey.
Place the roasting pan over 2 burners on high heat. Add cider and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes.
Slice the pork and serve with the vegetables, sauce and chutney (or applesauce), if desired.