On the past years of Christmas I usually prepare a crown of roast pork and filled the center of the crown with sausage and nuts.
This year we have less family visiting. I prepared a pork roast rack stuffed with sausage and nuts, in a different way.
This idea of slicing into the rack of pork roast to create a pocket between the bones and the meat was from my neighbor Nancy. We were invited to have dinner at their house and she cooked an awesome dinner for us! The stuffing cook inside the roast gives it a marvelous flavor.
It took me about 30 minutes to prepare the stuffing and stuff the rack of roast. It took about 1 hour and 45 minutes to roast the rack of meat. When roasting meat I always use a kitchen thermometer to check the inside temperature by inserting the thermometer to the thickest part of the meat and look for 150F, for pork.
The 5 ribs roast I had serves 4 of us plus one extra rib for leftovers. If you use a 6 ribs roast, adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Here’s the ingredients…
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup walnut halves
- 1 cup brandy
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ pound Italian sausage, meat removed from the casings
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 5 ribs pork roast
- 1 ½ teaspoons thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons rosemary
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 stick butter
Let’s prepare the stuffing…
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pine nuts and walnuts on a cookie sheet and bake for about 3 minutes, until lightly toasted. Coarsely chop the walnuts.
In a small saucepan, bring the brandy to a simmer. Add the lemon zest, cover and simmer over moderately high heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes.
In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook garlic till fragrant. Remove garlic into a paper towel, set aside for later use, and leave the oil in the pan.
In the same pan with the garlic infused olive oil, cook the sausage over moderate heat, breaking it up with the spatula, about 5 minutes or until sausage is cooked.
Transfer the sausage to a food processor and process until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add garlic to the sausage in the bowl, along with the nuts and the reduced brandy. Season with salt and pepper.
Prepare the roast…
Carve a 4 inches deep pocket along the length of each roast, sliding the knife between the bones and the meat. Be careful not to cut too deep and pierce the bottom.
Fill the pockets with the sausage stuffing. Tie the roast with kitchen twine in between the ribs. Put the roasts on a baking dish, rib bones pointing up. Rub the roasts with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle the roasts with the thyme and rosemary and season with salt and pepper.
Roast the meat for about 1 hour 45 minutes, rotating the baking dish halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat read at 150°F. Transfer the roasts onto a plate and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
While waiting, prepare the roast gravy. Stir in ½ cup of the chicken stock, scraping the browned bits to dissolve in the broth. Transfer the sauce to a small saucepan and whisk in the remaining chicken stock. Simmer over very low heat, whisk in slices of cold butter until sauce cream up, about 5 minutes. Pour into a gravy boat for serving.
Using a carving knife, carve the roasts into chops. Remove the kitchen twine and drizzle some gravy on the chop. Ready to serve.
Each serving contains 4.4g total carb, 3.7g net carb, 13.5g protein and 45g fat.
Here is the recipe…
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup walnut halves
- 1 cup brandy
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ pound Italian sausage, meat removed from the casings
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 5 ribs pork roast
- 1 ½ teaspoons thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons rosemary
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 stick butter
- Prepare the stuffing:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pine nuts and walnuts on a cookie sheet and bake for about 3 minutes, until lightly toasted. Coarsely chop the walnuts.
- In a small saucepan, bring the brandy to a simmer. Add the lemon zest, cover and simmer over moderately high heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes.
- In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook garlic till fragrant. Remove garlic into a paper towel, set aside for later use, and leave the oil in the pan.
- In the same pan with the garlic infused olive oil, cook the sausage over moderate heat, breaking it up with the spatula, about 5 minutes or until sausage is cooked.
- Transfer the sausage to a food processor and process until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add garlic to the sausage in the bowl, along with the nuts and the reduced brandy. Season with salt and pepper.
- Prepare the roast:
- Carve a 4 inches deep pocket along the length of each roast, sliding the knife between the bones and the meat. Be careful not to cut too deep and pierce the bottom.
- Fill the pockets with the sausage stuffing. Tie the roast with kitchen twine in between the ribs. Put the roasts on a baking dish, rib bones pointing up. Rub the roasts with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle the roasts with the thyme and rosemary and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast the meat for about 1 hour 45 minutes, rotating the baking dish halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat read at 150°F. Transfer the roasts to a carving board and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
- While waiting, prepare the roast gravy. Stir in ½ cup of the chicken stock, scraping the browned bits to dissolve in the broth. Transfer the sauce to a small saucepan and whisk in the remaining chicken stock. Simmer over very low heat, whisk in slices of cold butter until sauce cream up, about 5 minutes. Pour into a gravy boat for serving.
- Using a carving knife, carve the roasts into chops. Remove the kitchen twine and drizzle some gravy on the chop. Ready to serve.
Let us know how you roast your pork roast in the comment below!
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