There's nothing fancy about this meal. It's simple, straightforward family cooking; an honest meat and two veg. A pork roast rubbed with fresh herbs is one of my favourite weekend meals, and after a Saturday spent puttering around the house with the kids, it was the perfect meal to enjoy before I went out for the evening. Sometimes I just need some time in a bookstore or a cafe, alone, to remember who I am. I like me and I miss her sometimes.
An herb rub for a roast is pretty simple, really. I like a combination of fresh herbs, coarse sea salt, and olive oil. Any combination of herbs works well in a rub, and dried herbs work nicely too when that's what's handy. The herbs for this roast - rosemary, lemon thyme, and oregano - were picked fresh from our backyard herb garden. I just love saying that. Fresh from our garden. Fresh from our garden. Can you tell I'm excited about the first full day of spring?!
Here's how I made it:
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp coarse sea salt
A few glugs of olive oil
The herbs and salt went into a small bowl. Then just enough olive oil was added to make the mixture spreadable.
With the pork roast in a pan, fatty side up, the herb mixture was rubbed all over the top, sides, and ends of the roast. Yup, with my hands. It roasted in a 375 degree (F) oven for 90 minutes until a meat thermometre reached 170 degrees (F). I like to use a thermometre because cooking times can vary quite a lot, depending on the thickness of a roast.
Here's how I guarantee a juicy roast. You will never eat a dry roast again in your life if you wrap and rest it. I wrap a roast in foil the minute it comes out of then oven and leave it on the counter to snooze. It doesn't get cold in the foil. Seriously. This one sat for nearly an hour before I sliced it. No gravy required. But, for the record, I am pro gravy. Yum!
1 bunch of asparagus, woody ends removed
2 orange peppers, chopped into wedges
Drizzle of olive oil
Sprinkle of salt
I chucked the veggies in a 9 X 9 baking pan, drizzled them with some oil and sprinkled them with salt, then roasted the whole lot in the oven at 375 degrees (F) for 15-20 minutes. Easy and delicious.
Really, and this is the part you keep secret, there's not a lot of effort that goes into this meal. It looks impressive on a serving platter, that beautifully browned roast nestled in between those brightly-coloured veggies. But it's really just a prep-it-and-pop-it-in-the-oven kinda dinner. And if your roast is large enough to leave you with leftovers, you can be enjoying roast pork sandwiches for days. Grainy mustard, anyone?
Does your family enjoy a weekend roast? What do you serve it with? What do you look for when shopping for a roast? Are you excited about the first full day of spring like I am?!