Maple Pork with Roasted Apples and Onions AND Crispy Sage Leaves!
This meal is great to have anytime. But my favorite time of year, is in the fall when the apples have ripened and there is plentiful amounts of sage and red onions in the garden. I buy my pork from the neighbor farmers where I observe and see how the pigs are raised conscientiously.
When tasting this delectable and savory sauce on this pork you will not believe there is just two ingredients in the sauce. Once again maple syrup blended with balsamic vinegar is over the top ravishing!! This recipe is well worth the time to make and the crispy sage leaves are a nice touch. A bit of patience is needed in the making of these sage leaves but with impressive results! They are a crowd pleaser!!
Ingredients- Serves 4
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 medium red apples, halved and cored, each cut into 8 wedges
1 large red onion, halved and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 pork tenderloins, (12 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat or pork chops work as well
Directions
Place one oven rack in top third of oven, and another rack in bottom third. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Make glaze: In a small saucepan, bring vinegar and maple syrup to a boil over high heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture has reduced to 1/4 cup, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer 1 tablespoon to a small bowl for drizzling, and set aside. Reserve the rest of the glaze in saucepan.
1. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss apples and onion with oil. Season with salt and pepper; arrange in a single layer, and roast until golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and toss.
2. Meanwhile, line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; place pork on paper. Season generously with salt and pepper; brush with glaze from saucepan. Return apples and onion to oven, on bottom rack. Place pork on top rack; roast 10 minutes. Remove pork from oven; brush with glaze (discard any remaining in pan). Roast until pork registers 150 degrees.on an instant-read thermometer, and apples and onion are tender, about 10 minutes more.
3. Transfer pork to a cutting board, and let rest 10 minutes. Slice 1/4 inch thick; drizzle with reserved tablespoon glaze. Serve with apples and onions and a side dish of mashed potatoes.
Crispy Sage Leaves
These leaves crisp up after they have been removed from the hot oil and begin to cool down. They can be made a couple of days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
25 medium or large fresh sage leaves
Fine grain sea salt
Directions
1. Wash your sage leaves and then ensure that they are very thoroughly dried. Set aside.
2. Line a plate with several layers of paper towel and set aside.
3. Place a small saucepan over medium heat and allow to heat up for a minute or so. Add the olive oil and then carefully add one of the fresh sage leaves. Check to see that your oil is hot enough so that the sage leaf fries in about 5 seconds per side or so. You may need to use the back of a fork to keep the leaf flat and submerged in the oil. After 5 seconds flip the sage leaf over and fry for an additional 5 seconds. The leaves should emerge a bright green with no hints of browning.
4. Remove from the oil using tongs and place on the sheets of paper towel.
5. Once you have the proper temperature add 4 or 5 sage leaves at a time and cook the remaining leaves in batches. If the leaves are turning brown or cooking too quickly turn the heat down to medium low.
6. Once they are cooling on the sheets of paper towel season with salt.
