Roasted Pork Loin with Wild Rice Stuffing

Happy Holidays dear readers and visitors! I hope your festive season is a time of hope and joy. This year is a little different for my husband and I as our son is spending Christmas out of town on a ski trip. Not to be outdone by his holiday plans, we’ve rented a winter cabin and are planning an amazing retreat of our own.

Being the Kitchen Witch you know me to be, the holiday will be replete with an amazing assortment of great meals starting with one of my favourite ways to make a pork roast festive…

And that’s by stuffing it with a gorgeous mixture of wild rice, toasted almonds, apple, and maraschino cherries. Serve drizzled with sherry infused pan gravy, and toast the cook with cool sparkling Proseco.

Today’s recipe is a little more labour intensive than my usual fare, but when cooking something special for the holidays, sometimes you just have to go all out!

Visit the printable recipe here: Roasted Pork Loin with Wild Rice Stuffing. 

Please enjoy my easy to follow step by step video. It will take you all the way through the recipe, from butterflying the pork, to making the stuffing!

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Brine Time: 12-24 hours
Roast Time: 2 1/2 hours

 Ingredients

• 1, 4-5 lb boneless pork loin roast
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp each kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, herbes de provence or thyme
  

 Brine Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup Kosher salt (or 6 tablespoons of table salt)
• 3 cups of hot water
• 5 cups of cold water
• 3 bay leaves, crumbled
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 10 medium garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed 

Directions

1. In a large, wide pan or bowl, dissolve the sugar and salt in 3 cups of hot water
2. Add the Bay leaves, Allspice, peppercorns, garlic and 5 cups of cold water; stir to combine
3. Add the pork loin to the brine and cover the container with plastic wrap
4. Refrigerate 12-24 hours
5. Remove the pork loin from the brine and pick the spices off the meat
6. Dry the pork loin thoroughly with paper towels

Wild Rice Stuffing Ingredients

• 1/2 cup wild rice 
• 1 cup low sodium beef stock 
• 1 cup chopped button mushrooms 
• 1 granny smith apple, chopped 
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped 
• 2 cloves minced garlic 
• 1/4 cup sherry 
• 1/2 tsp thyme 
• 1/8 tsp sage 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/4 tsp black pepper 
• 1/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries 
• 1/4 cup softened cream cheese
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds 

Directions

1. Cook the wild rice in beef stock, covered on low for 45-55 minutes until stock is all absorbed
2. In a non stick pan sprayed with cooking spray, sautee the mushrooms, onion, and apple until caramelized and mushrooms have released their water. 
3. Add garlic and sautee another minute. 
4. Add sherry, thyme, sage, salt, and black pepper. Simmer 2-3 minutes until the alcohol has cooked off.
5. Remove to a medium bowl with the cooked wild rice.
6. Fold in the cherries and almonds. 
7. Stir in the cream cheese until everything is well blended.
8. Store covered in a cool place until ready to stuff.

To Prepare the Dish

1. Pre-heat oven to 400
2. Butterfly the pork loin as per the video instructions
3. Rub both sides of the roast with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and garlic mixture,
4. Pat the wild rice stuffing in a flat layer all over the center of the butterflied roast (as per video)
5. Roll the roast and secure with butcher’s twine.
6. Place on a roasting rack in a roasting pan and roast uncovered for 20 minutes.
7. Turn the heat down to 325 and continue roasting for 2 hours or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165.
8. When the roast is done, cover with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.
9. Serve in slices with the gravy drizzled over all. 

Gravy Ingredients 

• 1/4 cup sherry
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
• 1 tbsp salted butter
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup beef or pork stock
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper (or to taste)

Directions

1. De-glaze the pan with sherry and fresh rosemary. 
2. Melt the butter into the pan drippings and sherry. 
3. Add flour to make a roux. 
4. Add the beef stock, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk briskly until the gravy thickens.

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Author:

Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe developer, and a website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada. Lyndsay believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of all levels can accomplish.

Visit her daily on her blog, The Kitchen Witch or on her YouTube Channel, CHARMED With The Kitchen Witch.