Hands-on: 40 min. Total: 8 hr. 10 min.
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ cup thinly sliced shallots
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 (5-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
3 ounces goat cheese (about ⅔ cup), at room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 (3-pound) boneless pork loin
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
¼ cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high.
Add shallots, garlic, and thyme; cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until
shallots are caramelized. Add spinach; cook 1 minute, stirring
constantly, until wilted. Remove from heat.
2. Combine goat cheese, chives, parsley, and lemon rind in a small
bowl.
3. Holding a knife flat and parallel to a cutting board, cut horizontally
through center of pork loin, cutting to, but not through, other side.
Open flat, as you would a book. Starting at the center seam, cut
horizontally through each half, cutting to, but not through, other side.
Open flat on either side. Place pork between 2 sheets of plastic wrap;
pound to an even ½-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small,
heavy skillet. Remove plastic wrap.
4. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Spread goat
cheese mixture evenly over pork; top with shallot mixture. Roll up
pork jelly-roll fashion. Tie with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals.
Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and remaining ½ teaspoon
pepper.
5. Wipe pan clean. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over mediumhigh.
Add pork; cook 3 minutes per side or until browned. Place
stuffed pork in a 5-quart slow cooker.
6. Add apricot preserves, butter, and mustard to pan; reduce heat to
medium. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until butter melts. Pour
over pork loin in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours,
or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion of pork
registers 145°F.
7. Place pork on a cutting board; let stand 15 minutes. Skim and
discard fat from sauce in slow cooker. Pour sauce into a saucepan;
bring to a boil over medium-high. Cook 5 minutes, until reduced to
about 1 cup. Stir in vinegar.
8. Remove and discard twine. Slice pork into 12 slices; serve with
sauce. Serves 12 (serving size: 1 slice of pork and about 4 teaspoons
sauce)
CALORIES 206; FAT 10.7g (sat 4g, mono 4.3g, poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 20g; CARB 7g; FIBER
1g; SUGARS 5g (est. added sugars 3g); CHOL 66mg; IRON 1mg; SODIUM 354mg; CALC
45mg