Carol’s mother was the child of immigrants from Bohemia, where roast pork is very popular, and roast pork was the comfort food of her childhood.  Our last dinner with Nick was roast pork, with gravy and smashed potatoes.  This is how I prepared the roast pork, with some guidance from an article in SeriousEats.

You want to start with a pork loin with a fat cap.  Ideally, you have time to salt it the night before.  I did not have that much time, but it did benefit from several hours salted in the refrigerator before being roasted, which took a bit more than an hour.

3 lb. pork loin with a fat cap

Kosher salt

5 cloves garlic, chopped

Handful of fresh rosemary chopped

Handful of fresh thyme, stemmed

Freshly ground black pepper

Neutral vegetable oil

Dry the pork roast with paper towels.  Generously salt the meat side of the roast with kosher salt.  Put the roast uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator meat side up for several hours to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. 

Score the fat cap of the pork roast but do not cut into the meat.

Pat the roast all over with the garlic, herbs, and oil.

Put the roast in a roasting pan fat side up and put a temperature probe in the middle.  Roast at 475 degrees for 30 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and roast until the internal temperature is 140 degrees for medium pork.

When the pork is done, remove it to a grooved cutting board and cover with aluminum foil to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting it.  While it is resting, make gravy with the drippings. (At home I have a small oven which I would use to rest it at a low temperature like 130 degrees.