Autumn Pork Roast

Google the title of this recipe and you get a million variations on a familiar theme:  Pork Shoulder (or Boston Butt as it is sometimes inexplicably labeled), apples, thyme and possibly root vegetables like carrots, parsnips and the like.  I did about fifteen minutes of research and wrote this recipe down just based on what I had on hand, and what flavors I wanted for this first day of October as we enter my favorite quarter of the year.  I served this with my mock mashed potatoes, omitting garlic from that recipe, found here.  You could serve this with real mashed potatoes, but I was watching my carb counts today.  In any event, my recipe makes a delicious gravy that demands attention and companionship.

Ingredients
4-5 lb bone-in pork shoulder roast
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup brandy
3 medium sweet or yellow onions, sliced into rings
1 honey crisp apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 cup chicken stock (like Kitchen Basic's or Swanson)
2 tbsp garlic, minced
3 tbsp dried thyme
1/2 cup natural apple sauce, no sugar added (like, Mott's)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard (like Grey Poupon)
salt & pepper to taste

The Recipe
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

In an oven-proof Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high on the stove heat until the oil is shimmering.

Liberally salt and pepper the post roast, and then brown the roast on all sides in the hot oil, about six minutes on each side.

Remove the roast from the dutch oven and add the onions and apples and saute for a couple of minutes, then removing the Dutch oven from the stove, add the brandy, and scrape up any brown bits in the pan.  Add the garlic, thyme, chicken stock and apple cider vinegar, apple sauce, and stir to combine.

Nestle the port roast on top of the vegetables.  Put on the lid and put in the pre-heated oven for fifteen minutes, then turn the heat down to 325 degrees and cook for 3-3-1/2 hours until the roast is falling off the bone.

Remove the pork roast from the broth, add the Dijon mustard, and using a submersion blender, blend all the vegetables until your have a smooth gravy.  It should require no thickening agent.

Serve the roast along side mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or my mock mashed potatoes, made with cauliflower.