This is yummier than it looks. Promise! (this batch got a bit overdone, since I was feeding right when I should've taken it out)
I cooked this for The Hubby’s birthday dinner last week. I decided on the menu at about 3PM; sent The Hubby out to get some meat at about 3:30PM (yes, in the maniacal downpour, and on his birthday); started cooking a little past 4PM; and we had dinner at 6PM. I made a batch of brownies from scratch too. And fed Breeze, and put her down for a nap. And worked on a major writing project in between. In other words, this is an easy, quick (most of the time is spent roasting in the oven, and you don’t have to be present the entire time for that—unless you want to) recipe. It’s not only yummy, it looks great too.
I got the recipe straight out of Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Food Revolution (great cookbook, full of easy, doable stuff). It may sound complicated and rather involved at first, but after the first time or two, you can get this ready and in the oven in 15 minutes. Add another 15 minutes to make the gravy after, and that’s only 30 minutes actual hands-on time for something that looks like you’d been slaving in the kitchen the entire afternoon.
It’s a three-step process, but they’re easy. Promise. This is the recipe from Jamie, with my running commentary.
What you’ll need:
For the roast pork
-
1 pc 4lb center-cut pork loin, with or without the bones, with or without the skin (I use a much smaller cut, about 500 to 700g only, without the bones, more often than not, without the skin)
- 2 medium onions
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks (I actually never used celery; I can imagine how much yummier it would be if I did)
- 1 bulb garlic
- a small bunch of fresh thyme, rosemary, bay or sage, or a mixture (I use dried)
- olive oil
- sea salt (I use regular) and freshly ground black pepper
For the roast vegetables
-
2.5lb potatoes (usually just use 2 large ones, or 3)
- 6 parsnips (never put this—I did use zucchini once, though it isn’t at all like parsnips)
- 6 carrots (like the potatoes, I use a couple)
- 1 bulb garlic (roast garlic is heavenly, really. So I toss in an extra bulb)
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary (I use dried; sometimes I use different herbs)
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- olive oil
For the gravy
-
the vegetables used in the roast pork
- 1 heaped spoon of all-purpose flour
- a wineglass of red wine, white wine, or cider or a good splash of port or sherry (sadly, never had any on hand each time I cooked)
- 1 quart of stock
What to do:
For the roast pork
-
Take your pork out of the ref 30 minutes before you cook it. Preheat oven to 475°F.
- Roughly chop up the veggies for your vegetable trivet (isn’t that a lovely thing to call it?). You don’t even have to peel them. Just wash and chop. Break up garlic bulb into cloves, but leave them unpeeled. Pile the veggies and garlic into the roasting pan (I use the metal pan so I can put it straight on the stove after to make the gravy) and drizzle with olive oil.
- Score the skin of your pork every quarter inch or so. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and really rub it in. Put the pork on top of the veggies.
- Put the pan in the oven and turn temp down to 400°F. Cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes; add 20 more minutes if you use the bone-in cut. Since I use a smaller piece of meat, I can usually do it in an hour or less; a meat thermometer comes in handy here—go by the meat’s internal temp instead of time. Start prepping for your roast veggies as this point, as the meat cooks.
- Baste the pork halfway through cooking, and splash some water into the pan if the veggies look dry. When the pork is cooked, take it out of the oven and put pork on a board to rest. I sometimes turn the broiler on to crisp up the skin (if there is). Save the vegetable trivet and pan juices for the gravy.
- Cover the pork with aluminum foil and put a kitchen towel on top, and let rest for 15 minutes. Use this time to make the gravy.
- When the meat has rested, your gravy is cooked and your roast veggies ready, slice up the pork and enjoy.
For the roast vegetables
-
Boil some salted water (I start boiling right before I start seasoning the meat; when I’m ready to do veggies, the water’s boiling).
- Peel the vegetables and cut into large chunks. Break the garlic bulb into cloves. Pound each clove lightly to split the skin open, but leave them unpeeled. If you’re using fresh rosemary, remove them from the woody stalks (I process the roast veggies along with the vegetable trivet for the roast pork to save time).
- Put the carrots and potatoes in the boiling water and let boil for 5 minutes. Add the parsnips (if using) and boil another 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and allow to steam dry.
- Remove the carrots and parsnips from the colander, then toss the potatoes around so they get all beat up and sort of fluffy.
- Pour some olive oil in the roasting pan and then add the garlic and rosemary. Add the veggies, and season with salt and pepper. Mix them well, so the veggies get nicely coated (I use my hands).
- Spread the veggies and garlic into one layer. This way they roast, not steam. Put in the oven and cook until crisp and brown, about an hour (put them in when your pork is about halfway done).
- Serve and enjoy!
For the gravy
-
Remove most of the fat from the pork’s roasting pan, then put on the stove at high heat, veggies, juices and all. Add the flour. Mash up the veggies and mix in the flour.
- When everything’s nicely mashed (it doesn’t have to be fine), add the alcohol, and let it boil for a few minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Scrape up everything from the bottom of the pan. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. At this point, you can season the gravy, if needed (since my meat isn’t usually fatty, the gravy mix sometimes lacks that yummy zing, so I need to season. Worst case, I throw in a beef cube. Yes, sacrilege).
- When done, pour your gravy through a sieve, making sure to remove any vegetables that get through.
- Serve with the pork and roast veggies.
It really isn’t as complicated as it looks. Even if it’s multi-stage, the process can be done quickly. The next day, The Hubby sliced up the roast pork, and then dumped it in a pot with the veggies and the gravy, making it like some leftover pot roast. Yum!
Let me know how this recipe worked out for you!
Oh wow Ree!! Looks so yummy!!!! 🙂
Thanks Ly! Try it–easy lang talaga.
LOVE Jamie Oliver, and love his book Food Revolution 😀 we already have favorites from the book that Gabe or I can do without looking at the recipe na. Love that his food is not “chef-y”. do you watch his 30 minute meals show? @_@ he makes it seem so easy, making 4 dishes including dessert in 30 minutes. i can barely make an omelette in 30 min, yeesh.
We haven’t really maximized the book–I only do these three things (roast pork, veggies & gravy) hahahaha. But I want to try the stews. 75% of the HPs kasi aren’t stew-y people 😀
Nakita ko na naman to. I want to try. But I don’t have an oven! Been nagging hubby to get me one! 😀
Hahaha Ly. Preggy craving? Pwede rin oven toaster or Turbo Broiler 🙂 Bili na nga oven!