Roasted Pork Loin with Chunky Fruit Sauce

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Yield:
4 sandwiches

A pork loin sandwich, served with a chunky homemade sauce of apples, dried fruit, and maple syrup, is accompanied by roasted acorn squash and a grainy mustard.

Ingredients

  • 1 two-pound pork loin

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 2 ½ teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste

  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 4 firm red apples, such as Cortland, cored and cut into ½-inch cubes

  • 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup

  • 4 tablespoons low-sodium canned or Homemade Chicken Stock, skimmed of fat, or apple juice

  • 1 cup mixed dried fruit such as apricots, figs, and cherries, roughly chopped

  • 4 rustic-style rolls

  • 2 tablespoons grainy mustard

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rub meat with oil; sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and thyme. Roast in small pan until interior temperature reads about 160 degrees, 1 1/4 hours. Tent with foil to keep warm; let stand.

  2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large, shallow skillet over medium heat. Add half the apples, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Saute, shaking pan to toss apples until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons syrup, 2 tablespoons stock or apple juice, and half the dried fruit. Saute, tossing until fruit is soft, and mixture is juicy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to small bowl; cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Combine batches. Adjust seasoning.

  3. Meanwhile, slice rolls open; spread with mustard. Slice meat into 1/4-inch-thick slices; arrange over bottom halves of rolls, and mound with hot sauce. Cover with top of rolls; place on a baking sheet. Heat until rolls are toasty and filling is hot, about 5 minutes.

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