Roast Pork With Cheese and Cured Ham
- 1 (3 -4 lb) center-cut boneless pork loin roast
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 4 pieces
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 12 cup water, plus additional
- 8 -10 slices gruyere cheese (1/4 inch thick slices)
- 8 -10 slices ham, thin slices (Jambon d'Ardennes or prosciutto di Parma)
- 12 cup port wine
- 14 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons finced minced fresh parsley, for garnish
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Rub the butter evenly over the roast a place it in a flameproof roasting pan.
- Drizzle with the oil.
- Place the meat in the hot oven and brown, turning it once or twice to brown it on all sides, about 15 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 350F Season the roast with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the carrots, onion, thyme and bay leaf around the meat.
- Pour the water into the pan.
- Roast the meat until the internal temperature registers 150 to 155F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Baste the roast every 15 minutes with the drippings in the pan, adding more water if necessary to keep the vegetables from burning.
- Remove the roast from the oven and place the meat on a platter or cutting board.
- Don't turn off the oven yet.
- Use a small, sharp knife to make 8 to 10 incisions or pockets, cutting across the roast but not all the way through.
- These pockets should be 1/2 inch apart and large enough to hold a slice of cheese and a slice of ham.
- Tuck a slice of ham and a slice of cheese into each pocket.
- Let some of the cheese stick out by about 1/2 inch so it can melt over the top of the meat and provide a delicious cheesy crust.
- Return the roast to the pan.
- Roast the meat until the cheese is melted and browned on top, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the roast to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Meanwhile, place the roasting pan on top of the stove over high heat.
- Deglaze the pan with the port and beef broth, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon.
- Remove from the heat and pout the sauce through a strainer into a bowl or degreasing cup.
- Press on the vegetables with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much juice as possible.
- Discard the vegetables.
- Degrease the sauce.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning and pout into a sauceboat.
- Cut the meat, slicing in between the pockets of ham and cheese so that each person gets a slice of meat containing one of these pockets.
- Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
center, unsalted butter, vegetable oil, salt, carrots, onion, thyme, bay leaf, water, gruyere cheese, ham, port wine, beef broth, fresh parsley
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/roast-pork-with-cheese-and-cured-ham-341620 (may not work)