Citrus Mustard Pork Roast

Citrus Mustard Pork Roast

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tsp. finely shredded orange peel
1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3- to-4 pound boneless pork top loin roast (double loin, tied - sometimes I buy two roasts and tie them together when I can't find a double one or I have the butcher do it for me)
2 medium oranges
Orange juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar (I prefer honey)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine or orange juice

1. In a bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons of the mustard, citrus peels, pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt.

2. Untie roast, trim fat. Spread mustard mixture on roast. Retie roast. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer. Roast in a 325 oven for 1 3/4 to 2 hours or till thermometer registers recommended temp. for pork (the book says 155). Cover with foil and let stand 15 minutes. The meat's temp will rise 5 degrees during standing.

3. Meanwhile, for sauce, peel and section oranges over a bowl to catch juices. Add enough orange juice to equal 1 cup. In a saucepan, stir together remaining mustard, orange juice, cornstarch, honey, and lemon juice. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Gently stir in orange sections and wine (or 1/4 cup OJ). Heat through. Serve sauce with meat.

I like to serve it with garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed asparagus. I boil some yukon gold potatoes with about 4 cloves of garlic, drain them, add butter, gorgonzola cheese, fresh parmesan cheese, milk, a little cream, and use an electric mixer to get them nice and smooth. First I blend the butter in well before I add the other ingredients.

For the sauteed asparagus, I put some olive oil in a pan with two cloves of minced garlic on medium heat, just until I can barely smell the garlic, then I add the asparagus, keep it moving for a few minutes to avoid burning the garlic, then I turn it down to low and cook it for another few minutes. I put them on a plate, salt them, squeeze some lemon over them, and add a little fresh parmesan cheese. I think it tastes pretty good!