Brown Sugar Dijon Pork Roast

There’s always a reason to celebrate, whether it’s a holiday, birthday, anniversary, or any other occasion that brings family and friends together. Of course, no celebration is complete without FOOD!

And creating an impressive meal that feeds a crowd can be a challenge for some, but not with this Brown Sugar Dijon Pork Roast Recipe!

There’s something about when I get together with my family and friends that makes me happy. I’m not talking about the conversations that we have around the dinner table, no. I’m speaking of the joy that I feel while preparing a meal I know they will love.

When I think of “good times” in the past, I realize that most have three things in common; lots of laughter, good conversations, and amazing simple food. Like at Thanksgiving, or Christmas Eve.

However, I should point out that at these gatherings I’m typically always in the kitchen, preparing the meal, and often feeling like I’m missing out on some good times. Well, unless they join me in the kitchen -but you know what I mean.

So when it comes to special occasions, like Easter and other gatherings, I pledged a few years ago to make recipes that were not only easy to make but that they would practically cook themselves while I could enjoy my company.

Enter this recipe. It’s one that I’ve been making for years, both at gatherings and on Sundays for a terrific family meal. The simple glaze elevates this simple pork recipe and the veggies all cook in the same pan. Because trust me, you’ll want them to absorb the juices.

Something else I love about this recipe is that it can be prepped ahead of time. I can make the glaze and top the pork with it, place the pork on the sheet pan, and even chop the sweet potatoes ahead of time. The entire sheet pan goes in the fridge, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for about a day, so I can focus on doing all the other things on my todo list.

See why I said this is the perfect recipe for a special occasion or a family meal? Make-ahead for the win.

Brown Sugar Dijon Pork Roast

• Author: Laura Fuentes

Ingredients

• 3-pound pork loin roast
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, divided
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound carrots, greens trimmed (or removed)
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into wedges
• 3 Granny Smith apples, cut into thick wedges

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and grease a baking sheet or 13×9-inch roasting pan.
2. Season pork generously with salt and pepper (to taste) and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning. Place it fat side up in the center of the pan. Spread Dijon mustard over the top and sprinkle 1/3 cup of the brown sugar over the Dijon mustard to create a crust.
3. In a large bowl, place olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and mix to combine. Place carrots and sweet potatoes into the bowl and toss around to coat. Distribute sweet potatoes and carrots around the pork loin and transfer pan into the oven.
4. After 30 minutes of roasting, remove the tray from the oven and add the apples. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon of brown sugar over the apples and place pan back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes.
5. After 45-50 minutes of roasting, check the pork’s temperature in the middle of the roast with a digital thermometer to read 145F. Once pork is cooked and vegetables are tender, remove from oven, cover with foil for 5 minutes, and serve.

Notes

At 375F, cooking time for the pork is about 20 minutes per pound. Cut sizes will vary so calculate roasting time accordingly. At this temperature, vegetables will take about 45 minutes to roast.