The tart sweetness of new season apples or pears are a perfect accompaniment for pork, especially paired with baked yams or butternut squash.
Sea salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 Small shallots, peeled
2 4-inch sprigs fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 sweet-tart baking apples or pears, halved and cored
½ cup hard apple cider
1 pint half and half or cream
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Season the roast with the salt and pepper.
Preheat a Dutch oven over high heat. Add the oil and sear the roast on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
Remove the Dutch oven from the heat. Arrange the shallots, rosemary and a bay leaf in the pan. Place the pork on top and cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.
Remove foil and nestle the apples or pears beside the roast. Continue to roast until a direct read thermometer inserted in the center of the roast reads between 140 and 145 degrees. This will take between 20 and 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and let meat rest on a cutting board. Place shallots and pears in a small bowl and keep warm.
Over high heat deglaze the oven with the hard cider. When it is reduced by half add the cream and simmer until thickened. This should take about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve slices of the meat with pear or apple and shallot. Roasted and mashed butternut squash is a great accompaniment.