Polish Pork Roast

Every Easter - okay, not EVERY Easter, but every Easter that I feel like it - I make a big-ass Polish Throwdown of a Feast.

Mushroom soup? Check.

Pierogi from scratch? Check.

Imported* Kielbasa? Check.

Various imported* Polish delicacies that I can neither pronounce or accurately identify?

Galubki? On the good years - Check.

Pork roast with root vegetables? Oooo...Mmmm...Check.

Poppy seed cake? Check.

*Imported from Chicago, that is.

Easter Pork Roast

Feeds 4 as the star of a regular meal or 6-8 as a part of The Feast

Meat

1 Pork Tenderloin, trussed, 2-3 lbs.

Rendered grease from 4 strips of bacon (or reserved bacon fat)

2 tsps Salt

1 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Allspice

1 tsp Caraway seeds

Veg (VERY IMPORTANT STEP)

1 Large onion

4 Carrots

4 Stalks Celery

2 Parsnips (turnips if you MUST)

1 Hour Ahead

Season roast with salt, pepper, allspice and caraway. Let roast come up to room temperature.

Rough chop vegetables.

Show Time

Preheat oven to 375.

Brown roast in bacon grease in the roasting pan, if possible.

Set roast aside.

Add one half stick butter, 1 additional tsp allspice and 1 tsp marjoram to the pan.

Sweat vegetables for about 5 minutes.

Return roast to pan and nestle among vegetables.

DO NOT ADD LIQUID. This is not pot roast. This is an expensive holiday roast.

Tightly cover roasting pan and place in oven. Count on 30 minutes per pound of meat, but check with an instant read thermometer and make sure it reads 170 at the thickest part.

Remove roast to platter, tent with foil, let rest.

Strain out vegetables, add to platter.

Gravy

Make a loose roux with 2 Tbsps butter and 1 Tbsp flour. Brown roux. Add liquid from roasting pan. If gravy is too thick, thin with chicken stock.

Serve. Bask in accolades.