Roast Pork Loin with Blackberry Sauce and Green Salad with Basil Lime Dressing

Family Meals Month Meal Suggestion: roast pork loin with blackberry sauce paired with mashed sweet potatoes and a blueberry and nectarine green salad with basil lime dressing.

The pork roast with blackberry sauce is the star of this meal. Accompanied with mashed sweet potatoes and a standout salad, it makes a favored family meal that is company-worthy, too! Mash sweet potatoes with just a bit of butter and salt to taste. If some of that yummy blackberry sauce runs into your potatoes, oh well!

Roast Pork Loin with Blackberry Sauce

The pork loin is glazed with the Blackberry Sauce while it roasts, reserving some of the sauce for the finished presentation. Don’t use a non-stick pan for browning the roast, as those tasty bits that stick to the pan help flavor the Blackberry Sauce.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Pork Roast
2 to 2 ½ pounds boneless pork loin roast
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
Salt and pepper

Blackberry Sauce
2 tablespoons minced shallot or onion
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup chicken broth, plus additional for roasting
3/4 cup blackberry jam
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pat roast dry on all sides and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat, add roast and brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and place in baking dish. Prepare Blackberry Sauce.
   
   
2. To make Blackberry Sauce, remove any excess fat from skillet. Add shallot, sage, and thyme, sauté for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, scrapping up any browned bits, add blackberry jam and balsamic vinegar, stirring 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve jam, bring to simmer, reduce heat to medium and continue to simmer until sauce is just beginning to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes.
   
   
3. Spoon ½ cup of the blackberry sauce over the roast, turning to coat all sides, place in oven to roast, 40 to 60 minutes. Use tongs to turn roast to coat with glaze every 15 minutes during the cooking time, adding additional sauce if needed to keep coated. If sauce begins to burn on bottom of the roasting pan, add additional chicken broth to the pan.
   
   
4. Remove roast from oven when internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Place roast on cutting board to rest, about 10 minutes, the temperature will continue to rise. Tent with foil to keep warm. Roast should reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees.
   
   
5. Add pan juices to reserved blackberry sauce and reheat over medium heat if necessary. Slice pork and arrange on platter, spoon remaining blackberry sauce over the top.

Blueberry and Nectarine Green Salad with Basil Lime Dressing

To quickly toast the small quantity of chopped nuts called for in this recipe, toast in an ungreased skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Peaches or mangoes can replace the nectarines.

Serves 4 to 6 as a side salad

Ingredients

6 cups mixed greens
1 cup blueberries
1 nectarine, sliced into thin wedges (no need to peel)
½ cup radishes, cut in half and sliced thin
½ cup cucumber, chopped
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
¼ cup chopped and toasted walnuts

Instructions

Assemble ingredients in a large bowl, toss with Basil Lime Dressing, and serve immediately.

Basil Lime Dressing

Ingredients 

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lime zest
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about one large lime)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons honey

Instructions

Whisk together all ingredients or shake them vigorously in a lidded container, making certain honey is dissolved. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature and shake to recombine ingredients before serving.

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