So how does one achieve a gorgeous holiday entrée without hours in the kitchen? They serve this beautiful Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin with a Spiced Dried Plum Sauce.
Sounds fancy doesn’t it? Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin is fairly simple to prepare and doesn’t need a lot of prep time before popping it in the oven. Once it’s in the oven, whip up the sauce and hold it until it’s time to serve. This mouth-watering recipe will leave you time to prepare other dishes for your celebration, as well as time with your guests. Which is what I love the most… time with my guests! And the cocktails of course. 🙂
I love the rustic simplicity of wrapping strips of bacon around lean pork loin. This adds flavor and moisture which adds beautiful depth to this dish.
Serving the Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin with a spiced dried plum sauce laced with spices that compliment both pork and bacon, completes this gorgeous flavor profile – but still keeps the entrée simple.
To complete this meal, I paired this Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin with a sassy bowl of Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes, because bacon wrapped anything simply needs mashed potatoes. To lighten up the flavors and refresh the palate, I also paired the meal with an Arugula and Citrus Salad to finish. Keeping the meal low fuss in preparation but high in flavor for the ultimate holiday dinner celebration.
Because I originally created this Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin for the good folks at Western Horse & Gun Magazine (holiday 2015 issue), I thought I’d end with a closing sentence of western wisdom.
In the words of the cowgirls and cowboys before us… get up and dust your trail to a mighty tasty holiday celebration and take a stab at this Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin with Spiced Dried Plum Sauce – for the ultimate Yehaw from all your guests.
Happiest of Holidays to ya!
Karista
Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin with Plum Sauce
Ingredients
For the Bacon Wrapped Pork
- 2 ½ - 3lbs Pork Loin, remove from the fridge about 30 minutes prior to roasting
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian Herbs (oregano, Italian parsley, rosemary, sage, marjoram)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 12 ounces sliced bacon, enough slices to cover the entire pork loin (not thick sliced)
- 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 10 ounce package of dried plums
- 1 ½ cups dry white wine
- ½ pint heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 heaping tablespoon of red currant jelly (I’ve also used my homemade blackberry jelly and it was delicious)
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish
For the Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes
- 3-4lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 cup of heavy cream, slightly warmed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 ounces crumbled good quality Gorgonzola
- Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- Fresh chopped chives for garnish
For the Arugula and Citrus Salad
- 1-2 cup assorted citrus wedges (grapefruit, mandarin oranges, blood oranges, etc)
- 4-6 cups baby arugula leaves, packed
- 6 ounces crumbled goat cheese
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
- Drizzle good quality aged balsamic vinegar
- Drizzle good quality extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin
- Pre-heat the oven to 375F.
- Place the paper towel dried pork loin on a baking or roasting sheet. Rub the pork loin with the olive oil. Mix the dried herbs, salt and pepper together and then sprinkle over the pork loin.
- Starting at one end, wrap the bacon around the pork loin and continue with strips of bacon until the entire pork loin is wrapped. You may not be able to wrap the bacon completely around your pork loin if it’s larger in size. However, it will still be delicious.
- Once the pork loin is wrapped, place the baking or roasting sheet in the oven. The pork loin should cook for about 20-25 minutes per pound and it should reach an internal temperature of 145F. During the last 5 or 10 minutes I like to turn on the broiler and crisp up the bacon if it has crisped enough.
- Once the pork is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes before slicing.
- To make the sauce - In a sauce pan heat the wine on medium heat and add the dried plums. Let the wine and plums simmer until the wine has reduced by half, about 8-10 minutes. Gently fold in the cream, cloves, cinnamon, and red currant jelly. Bring the heat back to a boil and then reduce to a lively simmer until the sauce begins to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the sauce with the sliced pork loin.
For the Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cool water. Add a pinch or two of salt to the water. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to simmer the potatoes for about 15-20 minutes or until you can poke the potatoes easily with a fork.
- Once the potatoes are done, drain all but about ½ cup of potato water. Mash the potatoes and ½ cup of potato water with a potato masher or in an electric mixer. Once the potatoes are as chunky or as smooth as you like, mix in the butter, warmed heavy cream and Gorgonzola. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve in a beautiful bowl and garnish with chopped fresh chives or a little additional Gorgonzola crumbles.
For the Arugula Citrus Salad
- In a large bowl, toss the arugula with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil and season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Place the dressed arugula on a platter and layer with citrus and then the crumbled goat cheese.
- Garnish with toasted pine nuts and serve immediately.
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