WGWW – New Years Eve
Crown Roast of Pork with Sausage & Bread Stuffing
The food and drink you enjoy on this evening is really a major component to making New Years special. I’ve provided you with a meal that really isn’t difficult just a bit time consuming and needs some advance prep. The best thing is that in deference to the Xmas prime rib you can serve this roast with white, red and even champagne (see my wine selections and champagne list) which make it truly versatile and special all a the same time and nothing makes your house smell better while it roasts. Here, we combine pork’s natural sweetness melded with the sausage, herbs and onions in the stuffing.
You will have to special-order this cut of meat (the rib portions of the loins are joined to form a circle) from your butcher and I’d allow at least three days lead time. I should also mention that while the price per pound ($5.99) is far less than a prime beef roast the weight of a small ten pound roast brought the price to the $65.00 level.
Serves 10 to 12
You’ll need for the stuffing
2 lb onions, finely chopped (6 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh (1 TLBS. dried) sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh (1/2 TLBS dried) marjoram
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (1-lb) good dense white bread, (I use an Italian loaf but do not use a standard wonder bread style product) country loaf style, cut into 1-inch cubes, then pulsed to coarse crumbs in a food processor
3/4 lb ground pork sausage (usually comes with crown roast, see below)
1 cup finely chopped celery
You’ll need for the roast
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh (half dried) sage
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh (half dried) marjoram or thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Option 1 – Combine the herbs and spices above with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and Grey coupon style mustard to make a paste to spread on the roast, you want just a hint of the mustard flavor, or you can add a tablespoon of mustard to the sauce later either way, it will provide an interesting bridge, especially to the red wines.
1 (9- to 10-lb) crown roast of pork, rib ends Frenched (trimmed back to reveal bone)
(Ground pork sausage reserved for stuffing, above)
1 1/2 cups water
You’ll need for sauce
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Option 2 – ¾ slices of smoked bacon cooked and finely chopped
Here’s what to do
For the stuffing
Cook the onions with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in 3/4 stick butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Continue to cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are pale golden, about 10 minutes more. Add sage, marjoram, and pepper and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add vinegar and wine and boil, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated, then remove from heat.
Meanwhile, cook bread crumbs and remaining teaspoon salt in remaining 3/4 stick butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.
Reserve 1 cup onion mixture, covered and chilled, for sauce. Transfer remaining mixture to a large bowl and stir in ground pork sausage, celery, and crumbs.
Here’s what to do
Cook the roast and stuffing:
Put 1 oven rack in lower third of oven and another on bottom of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Here’s another required use for your instant read or remote thermometer, inserted 2 inches into center of meat but not touching any bone.
Stir together sage, marjoram, salt, and pepper (mustard option) in a small bowl, then rub over outside and bottom of roast.
Put roast in a small flameproof roasting pan and mound 2 cups stuffing loosely in center, then add water to pan. Transfer remaining stuffing to a buttered 2-quart baking dish and chill until ready to bake.
Roast pork in lower third of oven for 30 minutes, then cover the stuffing and tips of ribs with a sheet of foil and add more water if pan is dry. Roast until the you get a thermometer reading of 155 degrees, about 2 1/4 to 2 ¾, remove the roast from the oven transfer to a platter and cover with foil, the roast will cook forward to 160 degrees which is the finished temperature that you want .
Bake the remaining stuffing (next to or under roast, starting 30 minutes before roast is done), covered with foil, 30 minutes.
Increase oven temperature to 425°F (after removing roast from oven) and continue to bake stuffing, uncovered, until top is crisp, 15 to 20 minutes more.
Here’s what to do
Make the sauce while pork stands:
Transfer the pan juices from roasting pan to a gravy separator or a glass measuring cup and skim off fat.
Place your roasting pan on your cook top probably over two burners then add wine to pan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced by about half, should take about 5 minutes. Add reserved onion mixture, broth, pan juices, any juices on platter from roast (you cold add the second mustard option here) and bring to a simmer. Stir in cornstarch mixture and add to pan, whisking, and then simmer 2 minutes. Add butter and swirl pan until incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Carve the pork, I figure about one rib per serving and serve with stuffing and sauce.
Woody’s prep notes
Stuffing can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
Pork can be rubbed with seasoning and stuffed 2 hours before roasting and chilled, covered. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before roasting
For you in the Chicagoland area
If this recipe is a bit too much for you or you simply would like to make New Years easier please consider:
Woody The Wine Guy
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MAKE XMAS & NEW YEARS EASY FOR YOURSELF
Woody the Wine & Food Guy is accepting orders for fully cooked, carved (at your request) packaged & delivered* main course Beef, Ham, Pork and Turkey roasts for Xmas and New Years. Full dinners for 2 to 22 are available for New Years only. I will also gladly provide wines to match with your meal.
I brine cure the whole turkeys or all white meat turkey breasts and then, at your direction, will oven roast or Weber grilled them for you. I oven roast whole, smoked hams covered with a honey walnut glaze. The turkey breast and ham are great sliced as small servings for a buffet. I offer boneless sirloin or classic rib on beef roasts with several delicious crust options and pork crown roasts. It’s easy to customize your menu by adding side dishes such as: garlic mashed or rosemary roasted potatoes, creamed spinach and mushroom dishes, or even a desert, call to discuss pricing.
12-15 Lb. roasted, whole fresh turkey (carved at additional cost) including pan juice gravy delivered* – $65.00*
9-10 Lb. brined and roasted all white meat turkey breast or honey & walnut glazed whole ham – $50.00*
5-6 Lb. boneless beef sirloin or rib roasts – starting at $75*
* Costs will vary depending on size ordered and actual market pricing
Please call with any questions and to discuss your custom dinner order.
Xmas roasts must be ordered by December 18 and will be delivered on December 22nd.
New Years’ orders must be confirmed by the morning of 12/28
*Free delivery limited to 15-mile radius of Oak Park
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Carrots in red wine and maple-glaze
The carrots will take on a dark color when cooked in the wine but they are truly delicious.
Makes 6 servings.
You’ll need
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup thinly sliced shallots (2 large)
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 lb carrots, cut diagonally into 3-inch pieces
1/3 cup pure maple syrup important to use real syrup
1 cup dry red wine
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Here’s what to do
Heat butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, and then cook shallots, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes.
Add chili powder, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until chili powder is very fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add carrots, maple syrup, and wine and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
Add vinegar and boil, uncovered, until liquid is reduced to a glaze (syrup like consistency), 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in dill.
Mashed Yukon Gold potatoes with caramelized shallots
Slow-cooked, jammy shallots are an elegant and unexpected addition to these buttery mashed potatoes. Making the shallots several days ahead will allow the flavors to deepen and save you time.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
You’ll need:
For the shallots
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 pound small shallots, peeled (about 12 to 15 medium shallots)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the potatoes
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Here’s what to do:
In a skillet over moderate heat, melt butter. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add shallots and thyme and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 15 minutes.
Stir in oil, breaking up any clumps of sugar, reduce heat to moderately low, and set lid ajar. Simmer, partially covered, until shallots are deep golden brown, silky, and falling apart, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If liquid completely evaporates before shallots reach desired consistency, add 1 tablespoon water as needed.
Discard thyme sprigs and stir in salt and pepper. Keep warm, covered. (Shallots can be made up to 1 week ahead and refrigerated. Gently reheat in microwave before serving.)
Make potatoes
Preheat oven to 350°F. Prick potatoes all over with fork and wrap together in aluminum foil packet. Bake until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (Potatoes can be baked up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated; rewarm in microwave before continuing.)
In small saucepan over low heat, bring milk to simmer. While potatoes are still warm, halve and scoop out flesh into large bowl. Add hot milk, butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Using potato masher, mash until smooth. (Potatoes can be mashed up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated; rewarm in microwave before serving.) Top with shallot confit and serve immediately.
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Woody’s Wine Picks
The interesting and delightful aspect of a pork crown roast is that you can serve it with white, red and even champagne (see my champagne list suggestions) individually or all at once and not be wrong even though I’d not serve a white if I was using Champagne/sparkling wine with a red.
As always I offer these recommendations to you as a guide and suggest that you may or may not find them in your market area but ask your wine shop for something similar. We are fortunate to be in a very competitive wine and spirits market in the Chicago region so prices will vary city to city.
NV Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs, Carneros – Napa
Blanc de Noirs is one of the best food wines I have ever drunk, for it has a blend of wine styles, Chardonnay Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and it’s made as champagne giving it the best of all worlds. This wine has rich fruit of dark cherry, currant and strawberry both in the aroma and flavor with hints of cassis and blackberry. These red fruit flavors build in the mid-palate and finish with a soft, lingering, creamy texture. Try this wine in the 1.5 L bottles. $16 ($28)
www.chandon.com
’05 Hugel Gewürztraminer, Alsace
This is a fine, classic Gewurztraminer ready to drink with a lovely fruit bouquet of mango, aromas of roses and fresh oriental spices with citrus hints. The wine is dry, I get touch of tea flavor that all in all should be quite lovely with the roast and that little taste of mustard. $18.99
www.hugel.com
’05 Castello di Farnetella Chianti, Tuscany
Here is an example of how versatile the Sangiovese grape is, it truly works with so many styles and types of food. The wine is blended with some merlot to soften but it retains its’ deep, purple-ruby red color and has good fruit on the nose and a hint of spice. The palate shows smoothness and a nice finish edged with fruit and vanilla notes. $11.49
’06 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand
I like the reserve flavors in this wine that I believe are a result of the cool climate of NZ that pinot noir seems to think is best. It’s soft and flavorful with aromas of ripe cherries, plums and gentle sweet fruit tannins to provide serious structure and length. The wine is both barrel and tank fermented and is aged with a mix of new and older French oak. $14.99
www.oysterbaywines.com
’05 Domaine Gros F&S Hautes Cotes du Nuits, Bourgogne
Most Burgundy (Pinot Noir grape) is tannic and hard to drink unless it’s been aged for 15 or 20 years. Here’s a nice wine that’s warm, medium-bodied and initially light in taste, yet develops on the palate. It has lovely cherry/ruby color, with the subtle taste of a fine Burgundy. $23.99