If you love roasts, this low-carb roast pork loin recipe will impress you. Undoubtedly, this tender and juicy meat with a hint of rosemary and garlic is my family’s favourite, and we never have any leftovers. Because my husband loves roasts, I believe he could eat roast daily.
When I say roast, many people imagine a Sunday roast with family or friends in a pub, as Sunday roast is a traditional and common meal, typically served for lunch. Beef is the most common roast meat in the UK, but pubs also serve turkey, pork, and lamb. Potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, and gravy are certainly popular side dishes to accompany the meat.
However, in my home country of Slovakia, we only eat pork roast with sauteed cabbage or sauerkraut, Slovakian dumplings, or roasted potatoes.
What about low-carb pork roast?
I had been craving pork for a while, so when we went shopping and saw a perfect-sized pork loin (not tenderloin), the idea of roasting it came to mind.
Still, I was adventurous and decided to try a new way to cook the pork loin. While I was sitting on the patio with a cuppa near my rosemary plant, I pondered about herbs and spices to use with my pork… Wait for a second! Rosemary? Yes! That would add a pleasant flavour to the pork! What about garlic, for example? Anyone for apple sauce?
Ingredients:
- Pork loin
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- English mustard or Dijon mustard
- Fresh rosemary
- Salt and Pepper
- White or red wine
- Vegetable stock
- Root vegetable (carrot, parsnip, celeriac, swede, turnip)
How to make tasty, juicy rosemary and garlic roast pork loin
1/ Turn on the oven to 160
2/ Mix chopped rosemary, grated fresh garlic, half of oil, mustard, salt and pepper to make a marinade.
3/ Coat the pork with the marinade and sauté it in oil
4/ Heat the rest of the oil in the skillet until hot. Add the pork loin and sear it over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides.
5/ Chop root vegetables into medium pieces and transfer to baking dish.
6/ Transfer the pork loin to the oven dish on top of the chopped vegetable.
7/ Pour wine into the skillet, heat, and scrape up any browned bits. Add water or stock, and bring to a simmer for 1 minute.
8/ Pour the whole liquid over the pork in the oven dish.
9/ Cover with tin foil and bake at 160 ℃ for an hour. Then, take it out, turn the pork upside down, and roast it covered for another hour.
Finishing
10/ After 2 hours of roasting, remove the foil and increase the temperature to 180 ℃ for another 20 minutes.
11/ Then, turn the oven off and leave the pork in it for another 20-30 minutes.
NOTE:
I like to roast meat on a “bed” of root vegetables. I can’t remember where the idea came from, but it works very well.
The meat doesn’t stick to the bottom of the baking tray, and roasted vegetables make a nice little side dish or an excellent base for gravy.
When the pork had cooled slightly, I sliced it and returned it to the baking tray to soak up the juices.
I served rosemary and garlic roast pork loin with SIMPLE SAUTEED CABBAGE, vegetables, and homemade apple sauce, and I poured baking juice over the meat. This delicious twist on the traditional pork roast is an excellent compromise between my British and Slovakian cousins. It is nicely flavoured, tender, and juicy.
Did you make this recipe? Comment your experience below.
For inspiration look at my other recipes.
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The nutrition for this recipe doesn’t include side dishes (cabbage and sauce)
ROSEMARY AND GARLIC ROAST PORK LOIN
Cooking Tools
- Heavy bottom skillet
- Ceramic or glass oven dish
- Tin foil
- Knife
- Blender with dicer or chopper optional
Ingredients
- 2 lb Pork loin - (not tenderloin)
- 1/4 cup Olive oil - or avocado oil, divided
- 5 Garlic cloves - or more if you like a stronger taste
- 2 tbsp Fresh rosemary - or 1tsp dried
- Salt and pepper to taste - (I used Himalayan salt)
- 2-3 tbsp Wine red or white - or white/red wine vinegar
- 1 cup Vegetable stock - or water
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard - or English
- 2 cups Root vegetable - like carrots, turnip, swede, celeriac root, parsnip
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160 ℃ fan setting.
- Peel the root vegetable, chop it to approximately ½inch size and put it in the ceramic (glass) oven dish.2 cups Root vegetable
- Wash rosemary, peel garlic cloves, and chop with a hand blender or knife.2 tbsp Fresh rosemary, 5 Garlic cloves
- Mix 2 tbsp of oil with mustard, chopped garlic and rosemary to make a paste.2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup Olive oil
- Season the whole pork loin with salt and pepper, cover it with the paste.Salt and pepper to taste, 2 lb Pork loin
- Heat the rest of the oil in the skillet until hot. Add the pork loin and sear the meat until light brown on all sides.
- Transfer the pork loin to the oven dish on top of the chopped vegetables.
- Pour wine into the skillet, heat, and scrape up any browned bits. Add water or stock, and bring to a simmer for 1 minute.2-3 tbsp Wine red or white, 1 cup Vegetable stock
- Pour the pan juices over the pork in the oven dish.
- Cover with tin foil and bake at 160 ℃ for an hour. Then, take it out, turn the pork upside down, and roast it covered for another hour.
- Take off the foil and finish at 180 ℃ for 20 min.
- Turn the oven off and let the pork rest for 20 minutes.
- Cut the pork into medium (or thin, if you prefer) slices with a sharp knife and leave them in the baking dish to soak the juices.
- Serve the meat with sauteed white cabbage, vegetables, and tablespoons of unsweetened apple sauce (link for my recipe). Pour the juice from the baking dish over the meat. Enjoy!