Cinnamon pork roast

I was trolling for a new recipe last week, or at least something relatively inspiring, to serve while my parents visited Bristol. They were here for a three-day stay over the New Year and I had meals planned for most of their visit. But I had a hole in the menu and a lowly pork loin that I aimed to fill it. But I was tired of nearly everything I saw. I was ready to give up (or go back to the store) when I came across this recipe.

Cinnamon pork roast

One 1.5 pound pork roast
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 apples, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons dried cranberries or raisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pork in a roasting dish. Combine the remaining ingredients and spoon them around the meat. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Remove lid, spoon sauce over pork, then cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes more. (Pork should register 150 degrees internally, will rise to 160 while resting). Let the meat rest 10 minutes, slice and serve with sauce. Serve 6.

O.K. Maybe this is the point where I should confess that I struggle following recipes and rarely have the resolve or kitchen ingredients to do it. When I read this recipe, I immediately starting thinking about what I already had in the fridge and pantry and how I could use it. Here is my version:

Cinnamon pork roast with red wine and sweet potatoes

One 1.5 pound pork roast (to be technical, mine was 1.77 pounds)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons white sugar (I didn’t have any brown sugar on hand)
1 apple, cored and sliced (red delicious; don't judge, I explain later)
½ onion, quartered
2 tablespoons dried cranberries and pecans (from salad topping mix)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup water
½ cup red wine
Salt and pepper

I preheated my oven to 400 degrees, but I did not put the roast in the baking pan first. I heated about a teaspoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet, then browned the pork roast on all sides. To a 9x13 baking pan, I added the diced sweet potatoes, onions and the sprigs of rosemary.

Once the roast was browned, I added it to the baking pan with the vegetables. Then I mixed the cornstarch, cinnamon, sugar, cranberries and pecans together and sprinkled the mixture over the vegetables and the roast. I mixed it in well with the vegetables, added about a half-cup of water, covered the pan with foil and let it bake for 30 minutes.

When I checked the dish, I added a 1/2 cup of red wine, another ½ cup of water and the apple, cored and sliced. I was using a red delicious (I know, I know, I should have used a cooking apple. I used what I had on hand and I added it late in the cooking since it is much softer.) I let the dish go another 15 minutes, then pulled the roast out to rest.

I served the vegetables in a dish alongside the sliced roast; and the brown sauce I served with rice and green beans. The dish was beautiful and delicious – a bit sweet from the cinnamon and sugar, but savory from the wine and rosemary. And my husband loves sweet potatoes. They were a terrific addition that can take the heat with the roast without falling apart. My family ate every bite of this one, and I looked like I had planned the whole thing. Thank goodness!