Cranberry Walnut Holiday Stuffed Pork Loin with Gravy
This cranberry walnut bacon stuffed pork roll with brandy gravy is as delicious as it sounds and it’s also stunning. It's an easy yet impressive main dish to serve up over the holidays or for any time of year.
Finely chop cranberries, walnuts, bacon, and shallot using a food process or finely chop with a knife.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add rosemary, chopped cranberries, walnuts, bacon, and shallots. Stir and cook for about 2-3 minutes until you can smell the nuts then add brandy and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute then reduce to a simmer.
Scoop out all solids into a bowl and set aside. Add chicken broth to remaining sauce in skillet, cover and keep at a simmer.
In a small bowl, mix corn starch with a small amount of water and then add to sauce to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm.
Take the pork loin and you're going to make two cuts. First cut will be lengthwise, ⅓ up from the bottom of the loin, from right to left. Stop when you get about ½" away from the left side. Then flatten out the loin. The left side will be twice as thick as the right so for the second cut, you will again go lengthwise from right to left, slicing that thicker side until you reach ½" from the edge of the loin. From there you should be able to "unroll" the loin into a flat, rectangular piece of pork. If you need a visual on this, check out this short YouTube video:
Now that you have a nice flat piece of pork, generously sprinkle with salt and pepper evenly on one side. Then grab the cherry-walnut solids you set aside earlier, squeeze out any remaining liquid back into your simmering skillet, then layer the stuffing on top of your pork, leaving about 1" of an edge all the way around to allow the stuffing to spread out when rolled.
Roll the pork gently, not too tight, and then either tie the roll closed with cotton cooking twine or wrap it in greased foil so it holds together while you cook it. You can add a sprig of rosemary on top if you'd like before putting in oven. Save some fresh rosemary for garnish.
Bake at 350˚ until pork is 145˚ about 35-45 mins. Remove from oven when done, cover with a piece of foil and let it rest for 5 minutes.Gently slice and top with brandy sauce to serve. Garnish with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs.
Notes
Cooking to the proper temperature (not beyond) then letting the pork rest before slicing is key to moist pork. Rest time allows the pork's juices to distribute.