Herbed Pork Loin with Apples and Garlic

How is it that I've never cooked a pork roast before? It was so easy and so much more juicy and flavorful than regular old pork chops. I couldn't decide on which recipe to use so I combined a number of recipes to create my own. The apple mash really adds a nice touch instead of the usual jarred applesauce.

7 garlic cloves
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
10 large sage leaves
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
1 (3 pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of all visible fat
coarse salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
1/2 cup apple jelly
1 Tbsp cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Place 3 garlic cloves, rosemary, sage, and parsley in a food processor and pulse until a paste forms. You have to scrape down the sides one or two times to enusre that everything is ground up evenly. Season pork with salt and pepper and rub herb paste over top and sides of the roast. Dice remaining 4 garlic cloves and spread on the bottom of the baking dish with the diced apple. Place roast on top of apple and garlic mixture. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the roast and cook for 20 minutes.

Place the apple jelly and cider vinegar in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until the jelly liquifies. After the first 20 minutes of cooking the roast, brush the apple jelly over the surface of the roast. Cook for another 10 minutes and brush with the jelly again. Continue this process ever 10 minutes until the thermometer reads an internal temperature of 150 degrees.

Remove from the oven and tent with foil; let stand for at least 10 minutes prior to slicing and serving. Place the roast on a serving tray, leaving the apple and garlic in the baking dish. Lightly mash the apples and garlic with a potato masher or fork; transfer to a small serving bowl to serve as a garnish for the pork.

Yields 8 servings.

WW info:
flex - 6 points
core - 1 point (for the apple jelly)