Provençal Roasted Pork

Hi there everyone- Happy Friday! Remember a few weeks ago when I posted about how to butcher a whole pork loin into meal sized portions? Well, I finally had a chance last week to use one of my roasts when I found out that we were having a dinner guest. What better company-serving meal, than a roast with veggies? None, I say! This Provençal pork roast is one of my go-to, staple recipes and it’s absolutely to die for. It’s succulent and salty and oh so juicy. 

I have to apologize a little in advance for this post because I had very little time to take pictures, and got no shots of the final dish. 🙁 nevertheless, it’s a great recipe and still worth sharing. 

Here’s what you need:

• 2 lb pork roast 
• 4 large carrots, sliced diagonally into chunks 
• 1 lb Pee Wee creamer potatoes or other tiny potato variety 
• 2-3 large leeks roughly chopped with top dark green parts discarded 
• 1 tbsp kosher salt 
• 2 tbsp Herbes de Provence 

Now, some of you may be thinking “wow, that’s a lot of salt,” but, trust me, it won’t be too salty. Also, if you’ve never heard of Herbes de Provence, it’s really just an herb blend, made up of common herbs from the south of France.  You can make your own, but it has over 11 different herbs and spices in it, so unless you have a very well stocked spice rack, it might be better just to buy a pre-mixed blend. I use the Archer Farms brand from Target, but any good quality brand will do. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and spray a large Pyrex or roasting pan with nonstick spray. Next thoroughly pat dry your pork loin on both sides, and place it in your pan, fatty side up. In a small dish mix the salt and herbs to create a dry rub, reserve 1 tsp of rub for veggies. Next, rub the remaining salt and herbs into the loin until it is well coated. Toss the mixed veggies with a drizzle of EVOO and the reserved dry rub and scatter them around the roast. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour and a half or until a meat thermometer inserted reaches 145 degrees. 

This pairs really well with some crusty French bread and a good, high-acidity Chardonnay. Bon Appetit!