Name: Fruit stuffed pork roast with apple sauce
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 145 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2kg boneless pork loin roast, rind on; 2 onions, cut into wedges; 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted; 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil; Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season; ⅓ cup redcurrant jelly; 1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar; 2 medium red apples, cored and cut into wedges; Fresh thyme leaves, to serve; Apple sauce, to serve; Fruit Stuffing; 1½ cups mixed dried fruit (try chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries and golden raisins); ⅓ cup apple juice; ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar; ½ onion, finely chopped; 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves; Apple Sauce; 3.5kg Granny Smith apples, cored and quartered; 2 cups water; ¼ cup lemon juice; 1 cup brown sugar

Stuff and roll your way to this luscious loin! The stuffing and sauce are both super easy to make and the roast apples double down on this classic combo of flavours. Plump up dried fruit with balsamic vinegar and toss it with onions and thyme so your fruity stuffing is more savoury and less sweet.

Ingredients

2kg boneless pork loin roast, rind on

2 onions, cut into wedges

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

⅓ cup redcurrant jelly

1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar

2 medium red apples, cored and cut into wedges

Fresh thyme leaves, to serve

Apple sauce, to serve

Fruit Stuffing

1½ cups mixed dried fruit (try chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries and golden raisins)

⅓ cup apple juice

¼ cup white balsamic vinegar

½ onion, finely chopped

1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves

Apple Sauce

3.5kg Granny Smith apples, cored and quartered

2 cups water

¼ cup lemon juice

1 cup brown sugar

Method

For fruit stuffing, put dried fruit, apple juice and balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat. Boil gently, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stand for 30 minutes. Stir in onion and thyme, then season.

Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Remove rind from pork and reserve. Butterfly the piece of pork (follow the step-by-step guide below).

Spoon fruit stuffing onto meat. Starting from a short side, roll up into a spiral, then tie securely with kitchen string.

Put onion in a shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp of the melted butter and oil, then toss to coat. Arrange wedges in an even layer. Place meat on top and season.

Roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Reduce oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional) and roast for a further 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt jelly over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in vinegar.

Toss apple wedges with remaining melted butter. Arrange in pan around roast. Brush meat, onion and apple with jelly mixture. Roast for 25-35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in meat registers 62C. Remove from oven. Cover meat with foil and stand for 20 minutes before slicing.

Top pork with thyme, crackling, onion, apple and apple sauce to serve.

To make apple sauce: Put apple, water and juice in a large heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, covered, and stiffing often, for 25-30 minutes, or until apple is very tender.

10.

Press apples through a food mill or sieve. Return pulp to pan, discarding skins. Stir in sugar to taste, adding 1/2 to 1 cup water until dolloping consistency.

11.

Put pan base in a sink full of cold water and stir to cool. Ladle in sterilised jars. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Cook’s Tip! For crispy crackling, score reserved pork rind at 2cm intervals. Place rind, top-side up, on a wire rack set over a baking tray and refrigerate until needed. After step 7, as pork rests, increase oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional). Rub rind with 1 Tbsp fine salt 1 Tbsp olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until crackled and golden. Break into pieces.

How to butterfly

1. Slice down the centre

Place pork loin fat-side down on a large cutting board. Using a long, sharp knife, cut lengthways down centre of meat, leaving 1.2cm uncut along bottom to keep the sides together.

2. Cut and unroll

Place knife at the base of the V with blade perpendicular to first cut. Using shallow slices and the cutting board as a guide, cut through the left side, maintaining a 1.2 to 1.8cm thickness and unrolling it as you go.

3. Repeat on other side

Repeat on the other half, making shallow slices and unrolling until you have a flat surface and a relatively even thickness across the whole piece of meat.

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