Name: Slow-Cooker Pork Loin With Fennel, Oranges, and Olives
Total time: 3 h
Ingredients: 1 (3- to 4-pound) boneless pork loin roast , trimmed and tied at 1-inch intervals; 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence; Salt and pepper; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 3 fennel bulbs , stalks discarded, bulbs halved, cored, and sliced thin; 2 garlic cloves , minced; 1/2 cup dry white wine; 4 oranges plus 1 tablespoon grated orange zest; 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives , chopped; 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon

Why This Recipe Works

After quickly searing the roast to give it a deep color and more satisfying flavor, we sautéed fennel until softened and deglazed the pan with white wine before transferring the mixture and pork to the slow cooker. While the roast rested, we stirred orange segments and chopped kalamata olives into the fennel.

Before You Begin

You will need an oval slow cooker for this recipe. A wider, shorter pork loin (about 8 inches long) will fit best in the slow cooker. We found that leaving a ⅛-inch-thick layer of fat on top of the roast is ideal; if your roast has a thicker fat cap, trim it to be about ⅛ inch thick. Check the pork's temperature after 2 hours of cooking and continue to monitor until it registers 140 degrees.

Instructions

1. Pat pork dry with paper towels, sprinkle with herbes de Provence, and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roast on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to plate.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add fennel and cook until softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker. Nestle roast, fat side up, into slow cooker, adding any accumulated juices. Cover and cook until pork registers 140 degrees, 2 to 3 hours on low.

Transfer roast to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 20 minutes.

Cut away peel and pith from oranges. Cut oranges into 8 wedges, then slice wedges crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces. Stir oranges and zest and olives into fennel mixture and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in tarragon and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove twine from roast and slice meat into ½-inch-thick slices. Serve with fennel-orange mixture.