Apple & Prune Stuffed Pork Loin with Rosemary

Extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices thick bacon, cut into lardons
1 medium red onion, finely dice
Kosher salt
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced
3/4 cup prunes, quartered
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped, divided
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup brandy or Calvados
1 (4-pound) boneless pork loin
1 cup chicken stock


Coat a large sauté pan lightly with olive oil. Add the bacon and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the bacon is crispy and has released a lot of fat, add the onions, and season with salt. Cook the onions until they are soft about, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the apples, prunes, onion powder, chopped parsley and half the chopped rosemary. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Pull the pan off the heat and add the brandy. Return to the fire and flambé, or let the alcohol just burn off. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Lay out a length of plastic wrap about 2-feet in length. Spoon the apple mixture onto the plastic and make a log down the center that is about the same length as the pork loin. Roll the plastic tightly around the apple mixture and twist at the ends to secure. The log should be about 1- inch in diameter. Place the log in the freezer and let it freeze solid. This can and should be done ahead of time.

To stuff the pork: Insert a long, thin knife into the center of one end of the pork loin; repeat this process at the other end. Wiggle the knife back and forth to create a place big enough to accommodate your frozen stuffing log. After cutting with the knife, you can use the handle of a long wooden spoon to make sure the incision goes all the way through the pork loin. Or use your hands to make the opening large enough.

Get the stuffing log from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. Slide the stuffing log through the pork loin - it might need a little encouragement but it should go the length of the loin. Season the outside of the pork generously with salt and sprinkle it with the remaining chopped rosemary.

Coat a roasting pan with olive oil and bring the pan to a high heat. Add the pork to the pan and sear it on all sides until it is brown. Remove the pork to a plate and ditch the fat in the roasting pan. Add the pork back to the pan pour in the chicken stock. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and cook for one hour. Remove it from the oven, cover with foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.