Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Loin with Roasted Apples

My husband is the one who receives Bon Appetit magazine every month, so I generally leave it up to him to peruse each issue, scouting out recipes for us to try.  But this month I was struck by the wonderful prosciutto-wrapped roast on the cover and decided without even opening up the issue that I was going to try it.

It is not difficult to do, but it is time consuming.  It involves butterflying a roast (something I'd never done before, but found it to be a breeze), making a filling, rolling the roast, wrapping it in prosciutto and trussing it (something I learned to do by going on You Tube). As you can see from the picture, it makes an elegant, showy meal.  It is also a very good one.  The plus is that the roast can be assembled one day and roasted the next.  The only thing I'd change about this recipe is to substitute a cup of slivered leeks for the onion in the filling.  Leeks are an excellent accompaniment to pork and, in my opinion, have a much better flavor.

The recipe can be found in the current issue of Bon Appetit, online at epicurious.com, or below.  What follows is a step-by-step photo tutorial in case you'd like to give it a whirl.

Our pork roast was a little less than 1-1/2 pounds, so I cut the filling recipe in half.

A sharp knife is the key to butterflying a roast. Begin with the knife in this position.

As you slice, continue to unroll the roast.

The roast should look like this when you've finished.

Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten with a mallet.

The stuffing ingredients all mixed together and ready to be spread on the roast.

First a layer of blanched kale.

Top the kale with the stuffing and smooth almost to the edges.

Roll up tightly and place seam side down on the cutting board or counter.

Wrap with thin layers of prosciutto.

Truss with kitchen twine and slip sprigs of fresh rosemary beneath twine.

Sear on all sides.

Place on a bed of apples, pour sauce all around and roast in the oven.

Pat yourself on the back and admire your beautiful roast.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Loin with Roasted Apples


1 ounce (1 cup) dried whole porcini mushrooms
2 ounces (3/4 cup) dried apples
1 pound kale, bottom stems trimmed
2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons brandy or Calvados
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground pork

Pork
 1 (trimmed) 2 1/2 to 3-lb. pork loin
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more for seasoning
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
5 sprigs rosemary
4 medium apples (such as Granny Smith or Fuji), quartered, or 8 small apples, halved
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup dry hard cider
1/2 cup low-salt chicken stock

Preparation: Filling

Place dried mushrooms and dried apples in separate small bowls. Add 1 cup boiling water to each bowl. Let mushrooms and apples soak until very soft, about 30 minutes. Strain mushrooms. Cover and chill soaking liquid (about 3/4 cup). Drain apples, discarding soaking liquid. Finely chop mushrooms and apples, combine in a small bowl, and set mushroom and apple mixture aside.
Meanwhile, blanch kale in boiling salted water just until wilted, about 1 minute. Using tongs, transfer kale to a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate until cool. Remove any large, tough ribs.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until soft and lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and apples; cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, and rosemary; cook for 1 minute. Add brandy and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Stir in 2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool completely. Add ground pork and stir to combine well.

Preparing the Pork Roast

To butterfly, put pork loin on a work surface with short end facing you. Holding a long, thin sharp knife parallel to work surface and beginning along one long side, cut 1/2" above underside of roast. Continue slicing inward, pulling back the meat with your free hand and unrolling the roast like a carpet, until the entire loin is flat. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, pound to an even thickness.

Uncover pork. Season with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Place kale leaves on top of loin in an even layer, overlapping as needed and leaving a 1" border. Spread filling on top of kale. Roll pork into a tight cylinder. Wrap one layer of prosciutto around roast. Tie roast securely with kitchen twine in 1" intervals. Tuck rosemary sprigs under twine, spacing apart. DO AHEAD: Pork roast can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before continuing.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place apples in a roasting pan. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter with oil in a large skillet. Brown pork on all sides, about 5 minutes total, then set on top of apples in pan. Add cider and 1/2 cup water to skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits. Pour mixture into roasting pan. Roast pork until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of loin registers 140 degrees F (it will be cooked medium but still slightly pink), about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let roast rest for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Put roast on a platter. Reserve apples from roasting pan; spoon off fat from juices in pan. Place pan on top of stove over medium-high heat. Add chicken stock. Pour in reserved mushroom liquid, leaving any sediment behind, and cook, scraping bottom of pan to release any browned bits, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining 2 Tbsp. butter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain sauce; slice pork. Serve sauce and apples alongside sliced pork.