I read cookbooks like novels. Is anyone else like me? But I tend NOT to follow recipes! Can anyone else relate?
I was flipping through an Emeril Lagasse cookbook Essential Emeril and saw a recipe for Roasted Pork and Roasted Potatoes. It reminded me of how my Mother In Law makes her Roasted Chicken with Potatoes. It has the same reddish color. Then I thought back to a family cookbook that I picked up from the Dollar Tree. I do not have it anymore, but I remembered a recipe for roasted chicken pieces with a red pepper sauce that was amazing.
So, thinking back to how I made the original chicken/red pepper sauce recipe (totally relying on memory…always a precarious situation!) and the new recipe which called for hot peppers, I constructed a new recipe or adapted recipe. My family does not like hot peppers, so that was totally out. And, being that I am a thrifty cook, I used what I had on hand. A leftover red pepper from testing another recipe and a Pork Roast that I had in the freezer when our local Price Rite had them on sale for $.99/lb. Yup, $.99/lb. So, this was going to be a “Use It Up and Use What You Have” recipe.
Throwing ingredients into my Manual Food Processor, I got to work making a marinade. The red pepper, fresh garlic cloves, white balsamic vinegar (just because I like it), olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper. I pureed it into a nice thick marinade. My 2 lb (more or less) pork loin was in a freezer bag and slightly still frozen (just a little). I added my peppery concoction to the freezer bag and marinated that (hopefully) delicious roast for about 4 hours while the roast finished defrosting.
When cooking time came before my hangry hungry family arrived home, I quartered some skin-on washed potatoes, nestled the pork loin into the center of my Rectangular Baker and tossed the potatoes with some of the dripping marinade. In the oven it went on 425 degrees for about 20 minutes then down to 350 for the remaining 30-40 minutes until the meat thermometer read 140 degrees. Rested for 15 minutes and then sliced up. So delicious!
I served it on my Wooded Cutting Board because I love to carve the meat on a carving board and I think it looks so beautiful. Plus, why put it on a platter and dirty another plate!
Yes, I will make this recipe again. So here is my new concocted recipe!
Roast Pork Loin with Red Pepper Sauce & Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
2 lb pork loin roast
1 red pepper
3 garlic cloves
2 tbs white balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
6 medium potatoes
Cut diagonal lines into the fat of the pork loin roast.
In the food processor, puree the red pepper, garlic, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. If it is a little too dry, add a little more vinegar or oil to taste. Pour marinate over pork. Marinate the pork loin for 2-3 hours or overnight.
Quarter potatoes and put into a 9 x 13 Rectangular Baker. Place pork loin into the center of the pan. Pour remaining marinade over the potatoes and mix them up so the potatoes are also covered with the marinade. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Then, reduce temperature to 350 and bake for about 30-40 more minutes until the internal temperature of the pork reads 140 degrees. Take the pork out of the oven, cover and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. If the potatoes need longer to cook, while the pork is resting, continue to cook the potatoes until the pork has rested and sliced. Serve and enjoy!!!!