PORK - PORK POT ROAST WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES

Makes 8 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

One 3 ½-pound boneless pork loin roast, patted dry with paper towels

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 small onion, chopped

¾ cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio

1 ¾ cups chicken broth, homemade, or used canned low-sodium

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon ground sage

½ cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon sugar

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Season the pork roast with ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.  Add the pork roast to the pot and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes.  Transfer the pork to a platter.

Discard the fat in the pot.  Add 1 tablespoon butter and melt.  Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the wine, scraping up the browned bits in the bottom of the pot.  Add the broth, rosemary, and sage.  Return the pork to the pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.  Cook at a brisk simmer until a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the roast reads 150F, about 1 ¼ hours.  During the last 10 minutes, add the cranberries to the pot.  Transfer the meat to a platter.

Mash the flour and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small bowl to make a thick paste.  Whisk about ½ cup of the cooking liquid into the bowl to thin the paste, and then whisk this into the simmering liquid in the pot.  Simmer the sauce until thick and smooth and no raw flour taste remains, about 5 minutes.  Season the sauce with the sugar, salt, and pepper.

Slice the meat and layer the slices on a platter.  Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve hot.

From Kitchen Life by Art Smith.