Roasted Pork Sirloin with Carrots, Gingerbread and Guanciale

This is the third and final recipe from my collaboration with chef Stuart Kirton from VDG Salumi. Even though this recipe calls for 2 oven-safe pans, if you don’t have any (or 2) you can simply start by browning the meat/carrots in a fry pan on the stove, and then transferring to a preheated baking sheet in the oven.

Roasted Pork Sirloin with Carrots, Gingerbread and Guanciale

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: serves 6

INGREDIENTS           

For the Pork Sirloin

• 1 kg fresh boneless pork sirloin

• 1 tbsp. kosher salt

• 1 tbsp. fresh cracked black pepper

• 1 tbsp. olive oil

For the Carrots

• 6 cup orange baby carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

• ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice

• ½ cup sweet gingerbread crumbs

• 12 strips guanciale, cut into small pieces

• 3 sage leaves

• Salt to taste

• Fresh lemon juice, to taste

• 1 tbsp. butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400F.

Clean the sirloin of all the silver skin and sinew then pat dry with a paper towel.

Preheat a large oven safe pan on the stove over medium high heat, and add 1 tbsp. olive oil until the oil is shimmering. Season the meat with the salt and pepper, and sear until golden brown on all sides. Turn the heat off on the stove, remove the meat from the pan, and let rest for about 10 minutes. Don’t discard or wash the pan, as you will be using it again.

While the meat is resting, heat the butter “for the carrots” in a different oven-safe pan on the stove over medium heat, and add the carrots and a pinch of salt. Sweat the carrots for about 5 minutes, then put the pan in the preheated oven, and roast until light brown, but tender, approximately 25 minutes.

Add the resting sirloin back to the pan you set aside earlier, and place in the oven with the carrots for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and rest for ~10 minutes again. The process of cooking and then letting the meat rest is important in ensuring even cooking as well as a juicy finished product.

Put the meat back in the oven until desired doneness is achieved (it should look very slightly pink in the centre and still moist). Remove from the oven, and from the pan. Rest the meat for a final 15 minutes before slicing.

Remove the carrots from the oven, and add the orange juice. Cook them on the stovetop until the orange juice is gone, sprinkle with sage, gingerbread, guanciale and a few drops of fresh lemon juice.

Serve alongside the pork sirloin. For a heartier meal, this would taste fantastic with some mashed potatoes or creamy polenta!