It's a Keeper

So, if you're one of my Facebook friends, you might have noticed me asking for recipe suggestions last week.  I have a weakness for buying meats that are on sale, but then I don't quite know what to do with them, so they sit in the freezer for months.  So finally, this week, I'm defrosting and cooking up some meats that I don't normally cook with.

Yesterday was our pork roast day and MC said (I am not kidding), "this is the BEST meal I've ever had!"  Wow.  Strong words of praise.  It really was good--everyone thought so, including, I think, the black bear who walked through our front yard as we were eating it.

Here's the recipe I used for Rubbed and Grilled Pork Loin from allrecipes.com:

1 (4 pound) boneless pork top loin roast (single loin)

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons onion salt

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (I didn't have any, so I left the coriander out)

Place boneless pork loin on large cutting board or platter; brush oil over all sides. Set aside. Meanwhile, stir together dry rub seasoning. Rub over pork to cover. Prepare charcoal grill to cook over direct and indirect heat. Place pork loin over medium-hot coals (direct heat) or on medium-hot (about 400 degrees F.) gas grill. Cook for 10 minutes on each side to brown. Move pork to area on grill over indirect heat. Cook, covered for 70-90 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. On gas grill, move pork to one side of grill; turn off the gas directly under the pork. Leave the rest of the grill on medium heat. Cook, covered for 70 to 90 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Serve with your favorite sauce.

I served it with Roasted Smashed Potatoes from recipetips.com, which everyone also loved (even potato-hater, MC):

- 12 baby red potatoes

- 1/4 cup olive oil - more or less as needed
- kosher salt - to taste
- black pepper - to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary - chopped
- 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese - shredded (we left this off)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley - chopped

In a large saucepan, boil potatoes until tender. Drain and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Spray a cookie sheet with non stick cooking spray and lay the potatoes out evenly on it.
With a potato masher or the bottom of a glass, gently press down on each potato to smash it.
Drizzle each liberally with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary.
Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the edges just start to brown.
Remove from oven and sprinkle on the cheese and parsley.
Place back in the oven for approximately 5 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

And, although I served corn, we all thought that Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans from Real Simple would go nicely with the meal.  They even roast at the same temperature as the potatoes.
 
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
kosher salt and black pepper

Heat oven to 400° F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the Brussels sprouts, pecans, oil, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Turn the Brussels sprouts cut-side down.

Roast until golden and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Yum!  I'm looking forward to the rest of the week.  Up next, chicken drumsticks, with a little recipe help from Mom of the Wild Things...