Apple-Stuffed Pork Loin

I was not satisfied with the stuffing I got on Thanksgiving. 

Wait that came out wrong. 

I was extremely satisfied by the flavor of the stuffing I got on Thanksgiving. What I was not happy about? The amount! 

This is the problem with having teenaged cousins living with my aunt. And, you know, having their mom actually cook the Thanksgiving dinner. The leftovers that used to be claimed by a little bit of muscle and a little bit of sneakiness (basically the sole reason I helped with clean-up when I was little during those 40+ people dinners was because I could hide away the best food. and guess what? My immediate family never once complained. Shocking I know. Also, the only reason I ever helped bring food to the table was so I could put the turkey and stuffing immediately in front of me and my brother--our family had a very strict policy to always pass left.) 

Now though? There's not enough to hide it--everyone would notice. And I just don't get first dibs anymore. 

So I repeat...I was not satisfied with the amount of stuffing I got on Thanksgiving.

And so, after leaving my aunt's and returning to my parent's house for the weekend, I decided I needed to stuff something else. Full disclosure? This is the first time I've ever made stuffing. But I must say, I'm a natural!

(a Sea Salt n Pepa version of this recipe)

Ingredients

1 pork loin roast, butterflied (about 3 lbs.)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 apples (I used gala) peeled, cored and chopped small
1 large onion, chopped small
8 fresh sage leaves
2 cups thick-cut which bread cubes, crusts removed (about 2 slices)
1 egg, beaten
Milk
2 tbsp butter
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth, plus more if needed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, apples and sage. Saute until softened.

3. Remove from heat and gently stir in bread, egg, milk--just pour a tiny bit in, butter, salt and pepper. Add the broth gradually until everything is moistened. Let cool completely.

4. While the stuffing is cooling, lay out your butterflied pork and place a piece of Saran Wrap over it. Using your meat mallet, pound the pork until flattened to about 1/4 inch thick.

5. Once your meat is flattened and your stuffing cooled, spoon the stuffing onto the pork. Roll the pork up from one end to the other, ending with the seam side down. 

6. Tie the pork with butcher's twine. Lightly score the flesh and then rub down with a bit of olive oil (this will ensure it becomes a nice brown color). Season with salt and pepper and transfer to pan.

7. Roast pork in preheated oven for about 30 minutes a pound or until a thermometer (testing the pork only, not the stuffing) registers 160F. Remove from oven, let rest for 15 minutes then slice.

This was one of the most successful dinners I've made for my parents in a while. They absolutely loved all of it--I served it with roasted asparagus, which went into the oven in the last 10 minutes of the roast, and broccoli. No starch needed since there is stuffing.

Their only complaint? They wanted more stuffing! Next time I make it, I will make a bit more stuffing (about 1/3 more) and put it in the roasting pan with the pork so it gets some of the juices as it roasts. Yum!