Sausage-Stuffed Pork Roast

January 14th. One year sober plus six days. The official one-year chip was at the Thursday meeting, and I did what Gary told me to do: I stood up and said my name and I said, "One year. Five words: I don't want to drink." The room clapped, which rooms don't always do at chips, but the Thursday group does. Gary was there and he hugged me in the parking lot afterward. A real hug, the kind that isn't a handshake with extra steps. I held it for a second. I don't receive hugs well. I received that one.

Gary said, "First year is the foundation. Second year you find out if it's actually a foundation or just a floor." I said, "What's the difference?" He said, "A foundation holds weight. A floor is just what you walk on." I'm going to find out what I have.

The ranch in January is cold work with no drama — feeding, checking, maintaining, the same loop every day. I find I don't mind it the way I did in the first winter. The repetition used to feel like smallness, like the world shrunk to this ranch and these animals and this cold. Now it feels like structure. The loop is what holds everything up. You feed the animals and the animals feed you and the fence holds the pasture and the pasture holds the cattle and the land holds all of it and the sky holds the land. It all holds each other. You just have to show up and do your part of the holding.

I made pot roast Sunday, alone, for no particular reason except that it was Sunday and cold and the recipe requires six hours and six hours of something simmering on the stove while I do other things is a particular kind of company.

The pot roast I made that Sunday was about the hours as much as the food — the way something slow on the stove fills a cold house without needing anything from you except time. This sausage-stuffed pork roast is that same kind of recipe: you do the work up front, you put it in, and then you go do your part of the holding while it does its. That’s the whole deal.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 min | Total Time: 2 hrs 55 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 boneless pork loin roast (3 to 4 lbs)
1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chicken or beef broth

Instructions

Make the stuffing. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage and onion together until the sausage is no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Drain any excess fat. Remove from heat and stir in the bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, rosemary, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Let cool slightly.
Butterfly the roast. Using a sharp knife, cut the pork loin lengthwise almost all the way through, then open it like a book. If needed, make a second cut to flatten it further so it lays out to roughly 1/2-inch thickness. Season the inside with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Stuff and tie. Spread the sausage mixture evenly over the inside of the roast, leaving about a 1-inch border around the edges. Roll the roast back up tightly and tie with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals to hold its shape.
Sear the roast. Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the tied roast on all sides until golden brown, about 2–3 minutes per side.
Roast low and slow. Add the broth to the pan. Transfer to the oven, uncovered, and roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 160°F, approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Baste with pan juices once halfway through if desired.
Rest and slice. Remove from oven and tent loosely with foil. Let rest at least 15 minutes before removing the twine and slicing into 1/2-inch rounds. Spoon pan drippings over the top before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sausage-Stuffed Pork Roast — Six Hours of Something to Hold