Springtime Roasted Loin with Spinach

We eat pork loin all the time. This is a great way to change it up. Make it with a leg of lamb instead, it is just as wonderful and makes an excellent Easter dinner. Have the leg bones removed. The butcher will do this for you and will to butterfly the leg too. Just ask. Many of the amounts below are dependent upon how big a piece of meat you have and how many people you want to serve. Use as much garlic and spinach as you visually think you need to line the loin. The rest is up to your taste.

Ingredients:

• 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
• 6 oz. Fresh Spinach (approximately)
• 3-4 lbs. Pork Loin
• Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
• Olive Oil (to coat the meat)
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Thyme (½ that amount if using dried)
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary (½ amount of using dried)
• Zest of 1 Lemon and Juice
• ¼ Tsp. Ground Nutmeg

Procedure:

1. If not done for you, butterfly the meat by slicing down the center so that the piece can be opened and lay flat. Do not cut through.
2. Quickly blanch the wet spinach leaves in a microwave for 1 minute.
3. Open the loin and layer the spinach on the meat. Evenly drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle the garlic, spices and lemon zest and squeeze the juice. Fold the loin back together and tie with butcher’s twine. There are a lot of ‘fancy-chef’ ways to do this. Keep it simple, just wrap some string around the meat in a few places and tie a knot so that nothing falls out while cooking. Coat the outside with more olive oil and salt and pepper.
4. Sear on a hot grill, or in a hot sauté pan, until all sides are browned.
5. Place in a roasting pan and in a pre-heated oven at 325 degrees F. Cook until medium rare, about 20 minutes per pound or until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. You will want to check by using a meat thermometer because cooking will vary depending on the size of the loin.
6. Let rest 10 minutes before carving. (Remove butcher’s twine. It doesn’t taste good.) Garnish with a few fresh thyme sprigs.