Pork Loin with Mushroom Gravy & Crispy Potatoes

I would never in hell order pork off a menu at a restaurant nor would I crave pork like I crave a steak or something. Sounds gross. Actually, I don't think I've ever in my life said, "I want pork tonight!!" Just doesn't happen. When I think about pork, yummy salty things like bacon/prosciutto/salami/sausage come to mind...not pork loin or a real meal of food. However, tonight I established a broader horizon of protein cooking. You're probably wondering why I even chose to cook this, right? Well, these pork loins looked fresh and beautiful and I wanted to be open to cooking different types of proteins, so I figured if I pretended it was a thick piece of chicken I couldn't mess it up too bad. I have to say... not to shabby. It's definitely not something I would cook very often, because like I said, I am just not a big PORK eater. But if you are ever in an odd mood to cook pork, by all means...

Ingredients: Serves 4

• 4 Pork Loins
• 1 3/4 cups Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 1/2 tbs Butter
• 4 White Mushroom Caps, sliced
• 2 tbs Flour (more or less depending on thickness)
• 2-3 Bay Leaves
• Lemon Juice
• Cracked Pepper
• Crushed Red Pepper
• Rosemary
• Olive Oil
• Salt

Season the potatoes and let cook for 30-35 minutes... while they are cooking, you can make the rest of the meal...
Let's get the gravy going first...
Bring the chicken broth to a boil. Then add in the white wine and bring to another boil, lower the flame and cook off the wine. Add 1/2 tbs butter and stir until it dissolves. Add a squirt of lemon juice. Toss in the bay leaves, rosemary, cracked black pepper and a few red pepper flakes. Toss in the mushrooms and let it simmer with the lid half on.

 

Time for the pork...

Sprinkle salt and pepper on each side. Drizzle olive oil in a saute` pan and add about 1/2 a ladle of the liquid from the gravy mixture and turn up the heat. Once the oil is hot, place in the pork loins and a bay leaf on each loin in the saute` pan. Cook on each side for about 4-5 minutes. They don't have to be fully cooked because they will finish cooking in the gravy. Remove the pork loins/bay leaves and set side on a plate, but keep any liquid in the pan.


Back to the gravy...
By now, the mushrooms should be softened. Strain the mushrooms and bay leaves from the liquid (throw away the bay leaves).
Add this liquid to the liquid remains in your saute` pan and turn on low heat. Swift flour while whisking so that no chunks of flour develop. Keep doing this until you get the thickness of gravy you desire. Add in the mushrooms and mix all together. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Once your gravy is ready, add the pork loins into the gravy and finish cooking with lid on (about 3 minutes or until meat is fully cooked).

Serve along side your potatoes and add some gravy on top!