Stuffing and rolling a roast is a bit more work, but it yields important results. Rolling and tying the roast allows the meat to cook more evenly and the stuffing adds moisture and flavor to the interior of the roast. It also makes an impressive presentation for your family or dinner guests. I adapted this recipe for Marsala Sauce from Giada De Laurentiis’ cookbook Everyday Italian. Serve the dish with roasted potatoes and a green salad or corn and tomato salad.

Rolled Pork Loin Roast with Marsala Mushrooms
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ pounds top loin pork roast, boneless, and butterflied

  (Note: if you aren’t comfortable butterflying the roast, have your butcher do it for you.)

• 1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs)

• 2⁄3 cup grated Fontina cheese

• 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary

• 8 ounces sliced shiitake or other wild mushrooms of your choice

• ½ cup sweet Marsala wine

• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth

• 1 medium shallot

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• salt and pepper

• 4 thin slices of prosciutto

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

1. Mix the Panko, Fontina, and 1 tablespoon of sage in a medium bowl.

2. Lay the butterflied pork on a flat surface and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Spread the panko-cheese mixture evenly over the pork.

4. Roll the roast and arrange prosciutto slices across the top of the roast. Tie with kitchen twine at 1- to 1 ½ inch intervals. Place in a shallow roasting pan or cast-iron skillet, prosciutto side up, and roast for about 1 hour until a meat thermometer reads 140 F.

5. Remove roast from the oven, snip off the twine, and let rest 15-20 minutes.

6. While the roast rests, saute the shallot and garlic in 3 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until the shallot begins to turn golden (about 1 minute).

7. Add the mushrooms and 1 tablespoon of chopped sage, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid, and they begin to brown (6 to 8 minutes).

8. Add the Marsala and rosemary sprig and reduce by ½.

9. Add the broth and lemon zest and reduce by ½.

10. Add a tablespoon of oil to a hot skillet and sear the pork roast for about a minute on each of all sides.

11. Remove the roast to a cutting board and cut the pork in ½ inch thick slices. Top with the cooked mushrooms and Marsala sauce.

Wine pairing: a rosé or Pinot Noir pair well with this dish. For white wine, try a Rhone style white wine like Viognier or Roussanne.