For a complete pork loin dinner, we wanted a savory rub, an easy side dish, and a fragrant sauce and we wanted to be able to prep everything ahead of time. We rubbed our meat with savory spices and salt to
infuse it with flavor, and then we gently roasted the pork at a relatively low temperature to keep it from drying out. This gave us tender, juicy pork, but we were looking for a crisper crust. Broiling the pork for just 5 minutes added the nicely browned exterior that was missing. To round out our meal, we wanted
an accompaniment that could hold up to being stored overnight and bake alongside the pork. Small red potatoes seemed like a good choice since we could roast them in the same amount of time as the pork. To lend them some additional flavor, we tossed them with bacon pieces. To prevent the potatoes from oxidizing as they sat, we added some oil. A quick mustard vinaigrette was an easy finishing touch. Use small red potatoes measuring 1 to 2 inches in diameter.
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
- 1 (2½-to 3-pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed
- 2½ pounds small red potatoes, unpeeled, halved
- 4 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
- 1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
- Pinch sugar
- Combine garlic, oregano, coriander, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Rub pork evenly with spice mixture, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, toss potatoes, bacon, and 2 tablespoons oil together in bowl. In separate bowl, combine ¼ cup oil, parsley, shallot, mustard, vinegar, and sugar.
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Pat pork dry with paper towels and place fat side up in center of prepared sheet. Place bacon and potatoes, cut side down, on sheet around roast and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast pork and potatoes until pork registers 130 degrees, 40 minutes to 1 hour, rotating sheet halfway through roasting. Remove pork and potatoes from oven, adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element, and heat broiler. Broil until pork is spotty brown and registers 140 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer pork to carving board, tent with foil, and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Return potatoes to oven and continue to broil until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Slice pork into ½-inch-thick slices. Whisk sauce to recombine and serve with pork and potatoes.