Monday, September 28, 2009

Pork Roast with Bacon & Mushroom Gravy

I made this a few months ago for dinner party, and let me tell you...YUM-MEE!
By now you've noticed I'm a huge fan of Emeril Lagasse. I've been watching him on TV for years, and I love his cookbooks! What I love about him the most is that he puts a "comfort food" twist on foods that would normally be considered "gourmet". I watched him make this on TV, and decided I had to try it. I'm not going to lie, this recipe is time consuming, and is in NO WAY healthy (but oh so good). I would suggest making it on a Saturday or Sunday, and invite lots of friends over because it makes a ton. The night I made this was one of my favorite dinner parties. After the meal, we all sat around the dining room table drinking wine and laughing hysterically into the wee hours of the morning.
I served this with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and homemade fresh greenbeans the way my granny used to make them. This meal is a winner, no doubt! Enjoy!
1 (5 pound) boneless pork loin roast
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Essence or other Creole Seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces thick cut bacon, diced
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 ounces button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 quart canned low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Season the roast evenly with 2 teaspoons of the Essence, the salt, and black pepper and rub into the meat. Do this the day before to intensify the flavors if you wish. Heat a cast iron Dutch oven (or just use a big skillet) and, when hot, add the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crispy, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain and set aside. Add the roast to the pan and increase the heat to high. Cook until the roast is evenly browned on all sides, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the roast to a rack/roasting pan and bake at 350 until internal temp is about 160 degrees.
Add the flour to the pan (that you just seard the pork in) and cook, stirring constantly, until a roux the color of milk chocolate is formed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables have wilted, 4 minutes. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of Essence and the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they have released their liquid, about 4 minutes. Add the beef broth and Worcestershire and bring sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and keep the gravy warm until ready to serve. You may need to add a little more broth because it will thicken.
Once the roast is done, take it out of the oven and let it "repose" for about 15 minutes. This will allow all the juices to re-absorb into the meat. Slice the meat and ladel the gravy over it. Here's what happened to the gravy that didn't make it to the platter...
Sorry E had to do it!!! :0)

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