Name: One-Pan Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin with Roasted Red Potatoes and Peach Sauce
Total time: 3 h 45 min
Ingredients: 1 (3½-pound) boneless center-cut pork loin roast , trimmed; 3 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ¾ teaspoon dried; Salt and pepper; 3 pounds small red potatoes , unpeeled, halved; 1 small shallot , minced; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 12 ounces bacon; 10 ounces frozen peaches , thawed and cut into 1-inch pieces; ¼ cup dry white wine; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard

Why This Recipe Works

To add extra flavor and juiciness, we applied a rub of sugar and thyme to the pork loin first and let it chill for at least an hour. Laying out and overlapping bacon slices and then wrapping them around the roast worked perfectly to encase the meat—and made for a beautiful presentation. Cooking the roast in a low oven to start rendered some of the fat, and then cranking the oven to 475 degrees helped to crisp the bacon. As the pork roasted, the potatoes cooked in the roasting pan below—with the smoky bacon drippings deeply flavoring the tender potatoes. An easy peach chutney—like sauce, made by quickly microwaving peaches, white wine, vinegar, sugar, and whole-grain mustard, offered a tangy, sweet complement to our smoky pork and potatoes.

Before You Begin

Use small red potatoes measuring 1 to 2 inches in diameter. A ¼-inch-thick layer of fat on top of the roast is ideal; if your roast has a thicker fat cap, trim it accordingly.

Instructions

Rub pork with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap 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 250 degrees. Combine potatoes, shallot, oil, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in 16 by 12-inch roasting pan.

Arrange bacon slices parallel to counter’s edge on cutting board, overlapping as needed to match length of roast. Unwrap roast and place in center of bacon, with longer side of roast perpendicular to counter’s edge. Bring ends of bacon up and around sides of roast, overlapping ends of slices as needed. Place bacon-wrapped roast, seam side down, on top of potatoes. Roast pork and potatoes until pork registers 90 degrees, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove pan from oven and increase oven temperature to 475 degrees. Continue to roast pork and potatoes until bacon is crisp and browned and meat registers 130 degrees, about 30 minutes.

Transfer pork to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest 15 minutes. Toss potatoes with pan juices, season with salt and pepper, and transfer to platter; cover with foil to keep warm.

While pork rests, combine peaches, wine, vinegar, mustard, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in bowl and microwave, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Slice pork into ½-inch-thick pieces and serve with potatoes and peach sauce.