Name: Roast Pork Loin with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Ingredients: 4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme , divided; 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 2 teaspoons ground fennel; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 (3-pound) boneless pork loin roast , trimmed; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 40 garlic cloves , peeled; 1 1/4 cups chicken broth; 1/3 cup dry white wine; 1/3 cup heavy cream

Why This Recipe Works

Though the name of this recipe makes you reach for the breath mints, there's no need: The garlic in this dish (typically made with chicken) transforms from harsh and biting to sweet, nutty, and mild. For a twist on this classic, we paired the garlic with pork loin instead of chicken; the toasted garlic flavor perfectly complemented the pork's subtle natural sweetness. We rubbed the pork with a potent mix of salt, herbs, and spices and refrigerated it for at least an hour to deeply season the meat. Since the pork loin needed a low temperature to cook evenly but wasn't in the oven long enough to pick up flavorful browning, we first seared it in a skillet on the stovetop to brown the exterior. And since the garlic required a higher temperature to transform from sharp to mellow, we let the peeled cloves cook through in the skillet with the pork in the low oven and then returned them to the stovetop to brown while the pork rested. Broth, white wine, fresh thyme, and a bit of cream added to the skillet reduced into a thick, glossy sauce that tied everything together.

Before You Begin

You can use a blade-end or center-cut pork loin here. Three to four heads of garlic will yield 40 cloves. Note that the pork needs to be salted and refrigerated for at least an hour before cooking.

Instructions

Combine 2 teaspoons thyme, rosemary, salt, fennel, pepper, and pepper flakes in bowl. Sprinkle pork with thyme mixture. Wrap pork in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Unwrap pork and place in skillet. Cook until browned on all sides, about 7 minutes.

Scatter garlic around pork and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until pork registers 130 degrees, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer pork to carving board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 20 minutes.

While pork rests, place skillet with garlic over medium-high heat (skillet handle will be hot) and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is sizzling and light golden brown all over, about 3 minutes. Add broth, wine, cream, and remaining 2 teaspoons thyme and bring to boil. Cook until sauce has reduced to slightly more than 1 cup and is thick enough to coat back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Slice pork thin. Serve with sauce.