Kickin' It Old School: German Style

Here is another great recipe from my mom's collection that we made when I was visiting. This meal is an old German recipe that my mom has had since her hay days in Newport Beach. She got the recipe from one of her favorite places in Newport at the time called Gulliver's and immediately made it her own. My dad calls this meal the "one where everyone does not talk" because everyone is eating and loving it. This is a fabulous, hearty cold weather meal that is great for company or any night of the week.

German Style Roast Pork Dinner

Recipe from Mom, adapted from Gulliver's, Newport Beach, CA

serves 4

For the Pork Roast: Rub Lawry's seasoning salt, pepper and garlic salt all over a 4lb boneless center cut pork roast. Bake at 350 degrees in roasting pan for about 1 1/2 hours or until internal temp reaches 150 degrees. Let rest on a carving board for 15 minutes before slicing.

For the Apples: Peel, core and cut 8 apples into thick slices. Toss in a glass baking dish with enough brown sugar, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg to coat evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, mixing occasionally and adding more brown sugar and honey as needed. (Can be made in advance and reheated before serving)

For the Potatoes: Peel and clean 5 large potatoes, cut into 1/8ths and place in large saucepan or stock pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring pot to a boil over high heat and cook potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes of boiling time. Drain the potatoes and place back into the warm pot. Allow the steam to rise for a couple of minutes to get rid of excess moisture. Using a ricer, food mill or potato masher, mash potatoes into desired consistency (I like them smooth, but some like lumps!), but not too much that they get gummy. Add 1/2 cup of warm heavy cream and 1/2 stick of melted butter, salt and pepper to taste. you can always add more liquid if they appear dry. (Make these while the roast is in the oven)

For the Gravy: After placing pork roast on the carving board to rest, place roasting pan on the stove over medium high heat. Add a few table spoons of flour to the pan (enough to coat) and using a whisk, mix together the flour and pan drippings. Pour in 1 cup of dry white wine to the hot pan to deglaze, use the whisk to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan while mixing everything together. Once the mixture is bubbling and reduced slightly, add in 1 cup of chicken broth, salt and pepper. Continue to stir and bubble to allow to reduce. Once sauce has thickened, transfer sauce to a warm serving bowl with ladle.

For the cabbage: Slice 1 cabbage and steam in pan with a bit of champagne (you can use water or wine as a sub) with the lid on until just cooked, but not too crisp. Meanwhile saute 6 to 8 slices of bacon, cut into 1 inch bits, until crisp. Drain the cabbage well and toss in the bacon and fat. Season with Lawry's season salt and pepper to taste. Let sit while you are making the gravy.

This is one of my longer recipes that require more components, but the results all together are so great. Ladle a generous amount of gravy over the meat and potatoes. Try to get every component on your fork for one fabulous bite and all the cooking will be worth it.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Erin