Pork Loin Recipe - Delicious!

I really love to cook.  I don't know if I'm all that good of a cook, but Scott likes it, so that's all that matters.  I think I want to make part of this blog about the recipes that I make.  I want to share them with everyone!

I have 3 requirements for cooking meals... #1 - the prep time can't be all that long b/c I don't like to spend hours in the kitchen.  #2 - Simple ingredients.  While I don't mind learning about new ingredients... if there are 4-5 things that I'm not familiar with, I'm not going to try to make it.  #3 - Easy on the bank.  Scott and I are trying to save money to buy a house sometime in the future.  Since we are newlyweds, we are pretty much starting from scratch with saving.

The first recipe that I would like to share is a Pork Loin Recipe that I made last night.  It was so good and actually quite easy!  Here is the recipe and pictures below (I will make notes on things I did a little different as I go):

Prep time:  25 Minutes
Cook time:  2 Hours and 45 Minutes
Ready in:  3 Hours and 10 Minutes
Servings:  8

Ingredients:
1 (5 pound) bone in pork loin Roast (**I used boneless and about a 3.5 lb)
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Paprika
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1/8 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
6 Medium Potatoes, peeled (**I used Gold Potatoes and I left the skins on)

ONION MUSHROOM GRAVY
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Beef Broth
2 Medium Onions, sliced (** I used 1 large)
1 1/4 Cups Chopped Fresh Mushrooms
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley (** I had every intention of using this... even chopped it up, but forgot!)
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Cut slits in top of roast; insert garlic slices.  Combine the oil, paprika, pepper and thyme; Rub over roast.  Place in large resealable bag; Seal and refridgerate overnight.

2.  Transfer roast to a shallow roasting pan.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 1-3/4 hours. (**I did 1 1/2 hours since I had a smaller roast without the bone.)  Meanwhile, place potatoes and salt in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to boil.  reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until almost tender.  Drain; cool slightly.  Cut potatoes into quarters and arrange around roast.  (**I quartered the potatoes before boiling them.)

3.  Bake 45 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F and potatoes are tender, basting potatoes with drippings occasionally.  Remove potatoes; keep warm.  Cover roast and let stand 15 minutes before carving. (**Since I used a boneless pork loin, I didn't have to "carve".  I left the potatoes and cut what we needed when we were ready to eat.)

4.  For gravy, pour drippings and loosened browned bits into a measuring cup.  Skim fat reserving 2 tablespoons drippings.  Add water and broth to reserved drippings; set aside.  In a large saucepan, saute oinions and mushrooms in butter and oil until tender.

5.  Stir in flour until blended.  Gradually stir in broth mixture.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Stir in parsley and pepper.  Serve with roast and potatoes.

**I served this with green beans also
**Some great wine to serve with it is Sauvignon Blanc  Here is a picture of the one we had.

This wine went great with the pork!  Many people don't really know how to pair wines with meals.  After getting married at a winery, I have learned a lot about wines and will try to pair them with recipes I put on here.

I hope you all like this recipe!  If you do decide to try it, post a comment and let me know how you liked it and if you did anything different!  I would love to hear from you!