Christmas Dinner

Pork Loin with Apple and Cranberry stuffing

Ingredients:
1 boneless pork loin (about 6 pounds)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cup seasoned croutons1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cup peeled, chopped green apples
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3 Tbs cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onions
2 Tbsp Cranberry juice
2 Tbsp Honey


1 Preheat oven to 325°F.

2 Rinse the pork and pat it dry. You will be doing a "double-butterfly or Pin Wheel" on the pork roast. Lay the roast down, fat side up. Insert the knife into the roast 1/2-inch horizontally from the bottom of the roast, along the long side of the roast. Make a long cut along the bottom of the roast, stopping 1/2 inch before the edge of the roast. You might find it easier to handle by starting at a corner of the roast. Open up the roast and continue to cut through the thicker half of the roast, again keeping 1/2 inch from the bottom. Repeat until the roast is an even 1/2-inch thickness all over when laid out.



If necessary, pound the roast to an even thickness with a meat mallet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.





3 Place croutons and stock in a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes, until the croutons have absorbed the stock and have softened. Stir in the apples, walnuts, cranberries, onions, cranberry juice, honey, salt and pepper. Spread mixture over surface of the pork.




Starting with the smallest side of the meat (which should be in the shape of a rectangle), roll up tightly.





Secure with kitchen string. At this point you can wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate if you are making ahead.





4 Coat the bottom of a roasting pan with cooking spray or a little olive oil. Place the roast in the pan and cook at 325°F, uncovered, for about 1 hour ten minutes, or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140-145°F. Start checking the internal temperature of the roast at about one hour. Let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the kitchen string and slice into 1/2-inch thick slices.