Wine-Braised Pork Roast with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

What a wonderful way to cook a pork roast! The meat, even an inexpensive cut, is oven-roasted and turns out moist, tender and flavorful. And the sauce – oh, the sauce – is deep and dark and yet slightly sweet, thanks to rich spices, wine and aromatic vegetables. Wonderful with Garlic Mashed Potatoes!

Real Food, Fresh & Comforting. Hearty & Filling. Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Low Carb. Low Fat. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

THIS Is Why We Cook At Home

To some eyes, this recipe may appear long and complicated, but I promise, it’s not! It cooks in one pan and requires only four steps.

• Rub a pork roast with herbs and garlic, then refrigerate.
• Brown the meat.
• Chop and sauté vegetables for the sauce.
• Stick it all in the oven!

Many years back, I remember being quite astonished when I roasted my first pork roast, my reaction reminding me, “THIS is why we eat at home.”

An inexpensive cut of meat. Easy preparation. Rich flavors. Perfection!

About This Recipe

Cooking a pork roast is one of those magic "little effort + big results" recipes. It's easy enough for a weeknight meal if someone works from home but also special enough for a special Saturday night at home or a family Sunday dinner.

THE MEAT The meat itself is what's called a "pork loin roast". It's easily found in the pork section of grocery stores, a large piece of de-boned meat that usually comes "tied and rolled" – just look for string wrapped around the roast, holding it together while it cooks. Look for a roast that's about 2-1/2 pounds (1100g), but bigger is fine too, just scale up a bit. A few hours or the night before cooking, the roast is rubbed with a mixture of garlic, salt, pepper and allspice, it makes all the difference. No allspice? Use another dried herb: think thyme, sage, maybe even smoked paprika or cumin. Or if you have a meat rub you like, use that; one caution, most meat rubs already include salt, you don't want to double up.

THE BRAISING SAUCE "Braising" means to cook something, often meat, in a liquid or mixture that comes partway up the side of that food. (In contrast, "roasting" the meat would skip that liquid and cook the meat by itself and "boiling" the meat would mean covering it entirely with some liquid.) Braising is a great way to keep meats moist while they roast and also, in this case, to simultaneously cook the delicious sauce to serve with the meat. Here, the sauce is made with lots of onion, a little garlic, chunks of red bell pepper, canned tomato, a little marjoram plus, for the liquid, red wine and beef stock. Trust me, this sauce is so pretty and it's so delicious.

Cooking a pork roast is "almost" hands-off cooking. Just rub the meat ahead of time. Then brown the meat and sauté the onion and garlic to start the sauce, then pop it all in the oven. That's it! And your house will smell so good!

You will want to decide how long to cook the pork roast, the recipe provides three options.

A roast this size will feed about 8 people. If that sounds like a lot, don't worry, the leftovers are delicious warmed up or any leftover pork roast is easy to use in sandwiches, tacos, etc. I hope you love this recipe too!

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Hungry Yet? A Menu for a Special Fall Meal

Mulled Apple Cider
Bacon-Wrapped Dried Apricots

Wine-Braised Pork Roast
(recipe below)
with
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
(recipe below)
Cauliflower Salad with Fresh Herbs

Extra-Crispy Apple Crisp

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How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If my recipe for Wine-Braised Pork Roast with Mashed Potatoes hits the mark, go ahead, save and share! I'd be honored ...

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WINE-BRAISED PORK ROAST with GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

Hands-on time (the night or morning before serving): 10 minutes
Hands-on time (day of serving): 20 minutes
Time to table: about 90 minutes (possible) or up to 3 hours (recommended)
Serves 8

MEAT RUB
(night or morning before serving)

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled, optional
• 2-1/2 pounds boned pork loin roast, rolled and tied

BRAISING SAUCE
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large onions chopped (about 3 cups)
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped in large pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup water or stock
• 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon dried marjoram
• 2 bay leaves, optional

TO FINISH
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes

MEAT RUB In a small dish, combine the rub ingredients. Tear a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap the meat. Pat the meat dry and place in the middle of the foil. With your fingers, press the Meat Rub into the meat, covering all sides. Wrap the foil tightly around the meat and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

BROWN the MEAT Heat a Dutch oven (or another large, heavy oven-safe pot with a tight lid) on the stove on medium-high, add the olive oil and heat until shimmery. Brown the pork roast on all sides, about 10 minutes total, letting each side brown without moving. Transfer the meat to a plate and cover.

BRAISING SAUCE Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, bell peppers and garlic and cook until soft and just beginning to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Add the wine (it'll sizzle) and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot to grab the delicious bits. Stir in the remaining Braising Sauce ingredients.

Nestle the browned roast amid the vegetables, fat side up. If there are meat drippings on the plate where the roast was resting, pour them in too, flavor!. Cover and bring to the Sauce to a boil.

While the pot comes to a boil, heat oven to 350F/180C. Transfer the covered pot to the oven.

Now it comes time to make a decision on how long to cook the pork roast.

ROASTING OPTION ONE (FASTEST) For firm slices, roast for about 40 minutes or until the roast’s internal temperature reaches the safe internal temperature of 145F/63C.

OPTION TWO (MOST TENDER) For tender slices, cook for 2 - 3 hours.

OPTION THREE (A COMBINATION) For tender slices, on Day One, cook until the internal temperature reaches 145F/63C, then refrigerate overnight. On Day Two, bring to a boil on the stovetop, then bake again at 350F/180C for an hour. If needed, keep warm at 200F/100C for an hour or more.

TO FINISH Once the meat is done, transfer the roast to a platter, cover with foil and let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

Remove the bay leaves from the sauce. If you like, uncover the Dutch oven and cook the sauce on the stovetop on medium high until it reduces down to about four cups. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

To serve, slice the pork and top with sauce, with Garlic Mashed Potatoes (recipe below.

ALANNA's TIPS Inexpensive pork roasts can be a little tough (okay, some times a LOT tough) when cooked only until done. So I nearly always cook the pork roast using either Option Two or Option Three in the recipe. Some cooks will skip the browning step but browning the meat both creates a nice, crispy crust on the meat but also creates what's called "fond" in the bottom of the pan that adds a ton of flavor to the Sauce. Use light or regular olive oil for sautéing vegetables in dishes like this, saving the "good stuff" for salad dressings where the delicate flavors won’t get lost. When adding the marjoram, crush the dried leaves between your fingers over the cooking pot to release the flavors (and make your fingers smell good!). To add servings, simply increase the size of the roast and be generous when adding the onions, peppers and tomatoes. I cut the red pepper in such large pieces to give the plate color and substance. But if you chop them small, the sauce has a more refined appearance. Your choice! If desired, thicken the sauce to a more gravy-like consistency by stirring in about a tablespoon of flour and simmer until thickened. For a contemporary presentation, place a dollop of mashed potatoes in the center of the plate and arrange pork slices on top. Top with sauce and a sprig of fresh marjoram, thyme or rosemary. If you’re serving children or anyone who doesn't consume alcohol, it's a myth that all the alcohol cooks off. It might, but it takes a long, long time for alcohol to cook out of dish. Instead of wine, substitute apple cider, additional broth, even plain water.

COOKING PORK TO A SAFE TEMPERATURE It's important that pork be fully cooked, for some cooks that means "cooking pork to shoe leather" but really and truly, the safe internal temperature for whole cuts of pork like a pork roast (vs ground pork) is 145F/63C. But you may, indeed want to cook the pork to a higher temperature, there's a long discussion here, see Should Cooked Pork Be Pink?. There's really only one way to know if the meat has reached that safe temperature or even a higher temperature, that's with a digital thermometer (affiliate link). Trust me, it'll save you on both ends, avoiding both undercooked and overcooked shoe leather.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving: 248 Calories; 6g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 97mg Cholesterol; 167mg Sodium; 10g Carb; 2g Fiber; 5g Sugar; 32g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 5 & PointsPlus 6 & SmartPoints 6 & Freestyle 4 & myWW green 4 & blue 4 & purple 4

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GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

About an hour before serving, start the potatoes.

For four servings, allow a pound of russet potatoes, those are the ones with rough skins mostly used for baked potatoes. Peel them if you like but I like the rustic texture the skins add.

Cut the potatoes into quarters or if the potatoes are different sizes, make sure the cut pieces are about the same size, this ensures even cooking. Arrange the potatoes in a saucepan with just enough cold water to cover.

Drop in four peeled cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup milk. Cover and bring to a boil, cook until the potatoes are soft, about 25 minutes.

Drain the potatoes but reserve the cooking liquid. Mash the potatoes with a hand potato masher or an electric mixer (not a food processor!), adding another 1/4 cup milk, 4 tablespoons butter and if needed to reach the right consistency, splashes of the reserved cooking liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

FYI to my taste, the butter is wonderful but also optional, the milk and garlic provide plenty enough moisture and flavor.

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Pork = Perfect for Homey Fall Suppers

more
~ pork recipes ~

• THE RECIPE Milk-Braised Pork Roast Be it ever so humble, milky good.
• ANOTHER TAKE Wine-Braised Pork Roast with Garlic Mashed Potatoes How to cook a pork roast in wine and rich spices.

• THE RECIPE Thick Chops with Sauerkraut & Apples A Quick Supper, moist chops in apple-chunky sauerkraut.
• ANOTHER TAKE Thick Iowa Chops with Easy Stuffing Crust Thick Iowa chops capped with a stuffing-like crust.

• THE RECIPE Juicy Pork Chops For moisture and flavor, the chops are brined first.
• ANOTHER TAKE Perfect Thick Pork Chops Turn out juicy, perfectly cooked meat every time.

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More Long-Time Potato Recipes

~ Mashed Potatoes & Carrots ~
~ Perfect Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes (Party Potatoes) ~
~ Mashed Cauliflower (Low-Carb Mashed "Potatoes") ~
(not potatoes but a low-carb substitute)
~ potato recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ (Slooow) Baked Potatoes ~
~ Slow Cooker Garlic Smashed Potatoes ~
~ Three Secrets for Rich & Creamy Mashed Potatoes ~
~ more potato recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ pork recipes ~
~ bell pepper recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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