Braised Pork Pot Roast and Red Cabbage

Recipe by: Leslie Revsin | from The Simpler the Better: Sensational One-Dish Meals

Cookstr

Course: Main Course

Total Time: Under 2 Hours

Skill Level: Easy

Cost: Moderate

Beef doesn’t have a corner on the pot roast market. This braised pork roast is smothered in sweet-and-sour red cabbage and simmered to juicy tenderness.

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 large onion
1 red cabbage, about 2½ pounds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
3 pounds boneless pork loin roast, tied
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup red currant jelly
Hot cooked noodles, for serving

Directions

Prep: Chop onion. Cut cabbage into quarters; cut out core. Thinly slice cabbage crosswise.

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven or covered flameproof casserole over mediumhigh heat. Mix thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper and rub over pork. Add pork to pot and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer pork to plate.

2. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in pot and add onion. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 3 minutes. In batches if necessary, add cabbage to pot, sprinkling it with balsamic vinegar. Stir in jelly and ½ cup water. Bury pork in cabbage. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover.

3. Simmer until cabbage is tender and meat thermometer inserted in center of roast reads 150°F, about 1¼ hours. Season cabbage with salt and pepper to taste. Remove pork from pot and cover cabbage to keep warm. Let pork stand 10 minutes. Carve and serve hot, with the noodles.

Notes

Dressing Braised Pork Pot Roast and Red Cabbage Up: Add one 15-ounce jar vacuum-packed chestnuts, coarsely chopped, to the cabbage during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Red cabbage turns an odd color unless it is cooked with an acid. In this recipe, balsamic vinegar plays this role. Use a moderately priced brand, not the aged, artisan variety.