Weekend Cooking: Herb and Garlic Roast Pork Loin with Honey Mustard Sauce

 Let it be known here that I am a sucker for any recipe that contains the ingredient of MUSTARD.  I hated the stuff as a kid, but now I revel in finding homemade exotic mustards hidden on the shelves of my grocery store or better yet, in farmers markets.  If I am ever browsing for a good recipe and it has mustard in the title, I'm sold.

That is how I stumbled across this one.  I had a pork roast in the freezer that needed to be used, and I started Googling and there you go.  This one comes from the Entwine partnership between Food Network and Wente Vineyards, which create perfect food/wine pairings (check it out here).

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 TBL olive oil
2 TBL unsalted butter
1 TBL chopped fresh thyme
1 TBL chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup panko
1/3 cup plus 2 TBL Dijon mustard
2 whole heads garlic
2 TBL honey

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper.  Heat a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the oil, add the pork and cook turning occasionally, until browned on all sides.  Transfer the pork to a cutting board.

2.  Return the skillet to medium heat.  Add the butter, thyme, parsley, rosemary and garlic.  Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the panko and 1 tsp salt.   Cook, stirring, until the panko is golden, about 2 minutes.  Transfer breadcrumbs to a piece of wax or parchment paper.

3.  Brush the pork with 2 TBL of the mustard and roll in the toasted breadcrumbs to coat.  Return the coated pork to the skillet.  Halve the garlic heads crosswise and add to the skillet.  Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 145 degrees, about 45 minutes.  Transfer pork and garlic to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile, place the skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the honey, remaining 1/3 cup mustard, and 1/4 cup water and stir until combined.  Simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Slice the pork and serve with the roasted garlic and the mustard sauce.

They've paired this dish with a Chardonnay, but my husband drank it with a Pinot Noir and thought it was all delicious.  My boys always provide unsolicited feedback, and they determined this one was a keeper.

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