Middle-Earth Menu: “Sweet & Savory Pork Roast”

By Astrid Tuttle Winegar

This Sweet & Savory Pork Roast recipe is the main entrée for the birthday party. I plan a detour to Narnia next, then I’ll continue with three side dishes. I’ll finish our Hobbitish celebration with a fantastical cake, of course! I love the combination of pork and apples and I hope you will, too. Pairing various meats with fruits is an idea that is older than Medieval times, usually for the purpose of masking somewhat questionable proteins. Garlic, ginger, and other strong flavors were also used.

Please follow this link to my blog for the Savory Seasoning recipe! Or, I’ll make you a batch—head over to my Etsy Shop Elegant Sufficiencies and order your own: Savory Seasoning in a Jar or (the cheaper version) Savory Seasoning in a Ziploc Bag.

“Sweet & Savory Pork Roast”

Around 4 – 4½ pounds of pork sirloin tip roasts or single pork top loin roasts

½ cup Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons “Shire Seasoning” (Savory Seasoning; see above)

½ cup salted butter

4 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼” slices

½ teaspoon pepper

12 ounce jar mango chutney (1 cup—you can cut up any large pieces of mango, if desired)

¼ cup soy sauce

14½-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 325°. Coat a 13″ by 9″ glass baking dish with cooking spray, or grease lightly. Place roasts in pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard and 1 tablespoon “Shire Seasoning.” Smear this all over the tops and sides of the roasts. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of one roast and raise heat to 400°. Bake another 15-25 minutes, until the thermometer reaches 160-165°.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a 5-quart deep skillet over high heat. Add the apples and sauté about 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat slightly and cook for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce becomes thicker. Adjust seasonings, if desired.

Remove pork from oven; cover with foil and let it rest in the pan for 15 minutes. Cut into ¼” diagonal slices and arrange on a platter. Pour the sauce over all. Cover and refrigerate leftovers. Serves 12.

This is simply known by the same name in my cookbook.

Astrid Tuttle Winegar is the author of Cooking for Halflings & Monsters: 111 Comfy, Cozy Recipes for Fantasy-Loving Souls, which is currently available exclusively in e-book form on the Amazon Kindle, but will soon be released by Oloris Publishing! Stay tuned for details. For now, she is mostly telling a culinary Middle-Earth story here on Legendarium. Astrid has loved C. S. Lewis since childhood, J. R. R. Tolkien since middle and high school, all Star things, both Trek and Wars; all things Whedon, and many other things besides. . . . She lives in the enchanted city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband and dog. She blogs occasionally at Cooking for Halflings & Monsters. You can check out (and like!) her Facebook page or visit (and follow!) her Twitter feed. Staff Reporter.