Maiale Arrosto con Verdure Invernale

This is a great winter month dish that would be perfect to serve at Christmas time or any other special occasion during this cold stretch. One of my favorite things to do with large roasts whatever the protein may be is to roast it with the vegetables so they pick up all that delicious flavor from the meat. For the vegetables, I have some local seasonal vegetables that can show you that you don't have to be scared about cooking vegetables especially when done in this easy manner. There is a fair amount of work to do upfront, but once the roast is in the oven, you can feel free to enjoy your company for a couple hours.

TT = to taste

For Meat:
1 Large Frenched Pork Loin Roast
TT Fleur de Sel, or Kosher Salt
TT Coarse Cracked Black Pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (Sage, Thyme, Rosemary)

For the Contorno/Vegetable:
2 Bunches Collard Greens, stems removed and large diced, leaves cut into 2" pieces
2 Bulbs Garlic, cut in half
1# Sunchokes/Jerusalem Artichokes, scrubbed and cut into 1" bite size pieces
1# Multi-colored Fingerling Potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1" bite size pieces
1# Parsnips, scrubbed and cut into 1" bite size pieces
1# Brussel Sprouts, any bad outer leaves removed
2 Sprigs Rosemary
2 Sprigs Sage
4 Sprigs Thyme
2 Cups White Wine
TT Salt
TT Black Pepper

Method:
Pull Pork Roast out of refrigerator
season liberally all over with salt and pepper
spread the fresh herbs all over the meat as well
press the seasonings into the meat so they stick
let rest at room temp for an hour
preheat oven to 250F
Heat 6T of Olive Oil in very large skillet on high
Once smoking, add the pork roast skin side down first and brown all over until nice and well caramelized
Once browned remove from pan and set aside
lower heat to medium
For below saute process, add oil as necessary if needed
Also season each vegetable with a little bit salt and pepper as you go
add the sunchokes & parsnips and saute for 5 minutes, then remove
add potatoes and saute for 3 minutes, then remove
add brussel sprouts and saute for 2 minutes, then remove
Add garlic bulbs and saute cut side down until golden brown, 2 minutes
add collard greens and saute for one minute, then remove
add the wine to pick up any leftover bits from the pan, and cook for one minute
In large roasting pan, put the collard greens in the middle to use as a bed
place the rest of the vegetables all around the greens
pour in the wine
place the pork roast on top of the collard greens
Scatter the herb sprigs around the vegetables
put an oven proof thermometer in the center of the roast and place the pan in the 250F preheated oven
Roast until the thermometer reaches 135-140F (Around 1 1/2 - 2hours)
Pull out of oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes
Remove the roast from the pan
stir the vegetables together
Carve the roast around each bone into chops
place the vegetables and the carved roast on a platter
sprinkle the pork chops with a little bit of fleur de sel and drizzle the pork and vegetables with some good extra virgin olive oil
Serve immediately
If you'd like, you can serve the pork with some whole grain mustard even though that is not very Italian yet is a nice condiment for the delicious chops