This week’s theme in the Good and Good for You Challenge is Heart-y and Healthy Valentines and the sale cut of pork is bone-in pork loin roast at Publix until next Wednesday, February 15. I chose Pork Roast with Sweet Potatoes, Pears, and Rosemary to serve my family. As far as my workout progress goes, I’ve completed 17 days of the 30 Day Shred—over halfway there! I missed a few days this week, but I’m still plugging along.

Pork Roast with Sweet Potatoes, Pears, and Rosemary

• 3 1/2 pound bone-in pork center loin roast, excess fat trimmed to thin layer*
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped, plus more for serving (or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 pounds (6 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut lengthwise into sixths
• 3 firm-ripe Bosc pears, cut lengthwise into quarters, cored
• 1 12-oz bottle hard cider, **

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Rub pork all over with oil. Mix rosemary, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Rub all over pork.
Place pork, bone side down, in large flameproof roasting pan. Roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Roast 15 minutes more. Add sweet potatoes and pears to pan, stir gently to coat with pan juices, and spread as evenly as possible around roast. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, occasionally stirring sweet potato mixture, until instant-read food thermometer inserted in center of roast reads 145 degrees F and the potatoes and pears are tender, about 1 hour more. Transfer pork to carving board. Transfer sweet potato mixture to ovenproof bowl, tent with aluminum foil, and keep warm in turned-off oven. (If needed, increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F, and continue roasting sweet potato mixture until tender, up to 15 minutes longer.) Let pork stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
Heat roasting pan over high heat. Add cider, bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits in pan with wooden spoon, and boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour into sauceboat.
Carve pork. Transfer to serving platter, surround with sweet potato mixture, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of cider sauce, and sprinkle with rosemary. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.

*Tip: If you desire to tie the roast, cotton kitchen twine (also called butcher’s twine) is handy to have on hand for a number of chores, especially tying roasts to help them keep their shape during cooking. If you don’t have it, use unwaxed and unflavored dental floss.

**Substitute 1 cup apple juice and 1/2 cup dry vermouth for the hard cider, or use all apple juice.

12 3-ounce servings

From the cook’s point-of-view, this recipe was a little trickier. I’m paying close attention to the recommended safe cooking temperature of 145° and my roast took about an extra 20 minutes to get there. That apple cider gravy was extra yummy—don’t skip it!

Click here for more information about pork as part of a healthy diet. Don’t forget to enter the Love Me Tenderloin giveaway through the Pork Be Inspired Facebook page for your chance to win $50 worth of pork tenderloin, given away daily. Just “like” the page and then click the Win with Pork link on the left for more details.

Here’s to photogenic fruits and vegetables!

{I will be compensated for writing this post series and received coupons and a gift card for Publix. Opinions expressed are my own.}