Braised Pork Loin – Served on Mashed Potatoes with a Red Wine Sauce

Braised Pork Loin 

There’s something a bit magic about a slow-braised pork loin. It’s not flashy or fiddly – just good, honest cooking that fills the house with comforting smells and brings everyone to the table hungry. When the weather turns cold and we are after something hearty but still a bit special, this is the sort of thing I like to make. This recipe is also good with pork cheeks, if you can get them. I couldn’t, so we tried with tenderloin instead. This braised pork loin will give you meat that is beautifully tender and falls to pieces when you touch it.

This particular version is all about depth of flavour. The pork is browned off first in a pan, which gives it that lovely golden edge. Ideally it is then tucked into a casserole dish with a rich blend of red wine, chicken stock, garlic and shallots. I used a large saucepan and use tin foil to close it as I did not have my Le Creuset handy. But it did the trick.

Slow-cooking Pork Loin

Pop it in the oven and forget about it for a few hours – the oven does all the hard work. Easy peasy. By the time it’s done, the meat is meltingly tender and the sauce is deep and savoury. Just enough sweetness from the shallots and carrots to balance things out.

I usually serve it with creamy mash and some simple boiled carrots on the side – nothing too fancy. The sauce soaks into the potatoes beautifully, and you’ll want every last spoonful of it.

This dish works well if you’re feeding a crowd. Or you want something that feels a bit more special without loads of effort. It also reheats like a dream, so it’s worth making a bit extra if you can. Perfect for a relaxed Sunday roast or even Christmas dinner if you’re after something other than turkey.

If you’ve got a couple of decent pork tenderloins, a bottle of red you’re happy to cook with (don’t waste the good stuff!) and a few hours at home, you’re all set. It’s simple, satisfying and exactly the kind of slow-cooked comfort food I go back to again and again. Give it a try -it’s a proper winner.

If you try this recipe, please let me know how it turns out in the comments section below!

How to make braised Pork Loin

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Yield: 6

Braised Pork Loin

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Tender braised pork loin slow-cooked in red wine with garlic and shallots. A rich, tasty dish perfect for Sunday lunch or winter dinners.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 x 600g Lean Pork Loin
• 200g shallots
• Olive Oil
• 1 bouquet garni
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 350 ml Red wine
• 400 ml Chicken stock (I use one OXO cube)
• 2 tsp Corn Flour
• 1 tbsp Bisto beef gravy granules
• 1 kg Potatoes
• 500g carrots
• 50 g butter
• 100 ml milk
• 1 tsp nutmeg

Instructions

1. Remove any fat from the pork loin pieces, and cut them into equal-sized pieces to serve the number of eaters. Season them with salt and pepper. Then brown these pieces in a pan until sealed on all sides.
2. While browning the meat, prepare the other ingredients. Peel the potatoes, carrots and shallots. Pour the red wine and chicken stock and bouquet garni into a casserole dish with a lid that closes well (like a Le Creuset), then add the shallots and the sliced garlic. Mix well and close the lid.
3. Place in the oven at 180°C for 3 hours. Halfway through, turn the meat over and baste with the juices.
4. Before serving, boil some water in a pan and then boil the potatoes and carrots together for 20 minutes. Separate the carrots from the potatoes after draining. Then make the mash, using the butter, milk and nutmeg and mashing the potatoes until very fine.
5. For the gravy, remove the meat and shallots from the pan. Then mix the corn flour with some water and add to the liquid in the pan. Cook on the hob and add the gravy granules. Now whisk until the liquid begins to thicken into a tasty red wine sauce.

Notes

Serve the meat on a bed of mash, with a few shallots and carrots on the plate. Add the gravy to suit.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 763Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 181mgSodium: 386mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 8gSugar: 10gProtein: 61g

This nutrition information was automatically calculated by Nutritionix, but may not be 100% accurate.

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