Roasted Pork Loin With Blackened Onions and Dark Gravy

This recipe was inspired by my hubby's Uncle Paul's famous burned onion pork roast. I was never fortunate enough to enjoy Uncle Paul's cooking myself, as he passed away a few years ago, but the family always raves about this particular specialty of his. Uncle Neil and my mother-in-law, Becky, have both prepared it, and it is always a huge hit. In this recipe, I use pork loins instead of a whole pork roast and add my own twist of herbs and seasonings. It's not quite the same as theirs, but I have to say my version turned out pretty well too. My hubby gobbled his first serving down and went back for seconds. The pork is juicy, tender and flavorful with little gems of blackened onion goodness (which everyone fights over who will get the last bits!). The onions are deeply caramelized until they are crispy-almost-burned, which deepens their flavor and adds a nice crispy topping for the meat along with a rich, dark gravy. Our family enjoys this dish, and I hope yours does too!

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  pork tenderloin (1 lb. each, or pork roast)
• 2 -3  large  white onions, sliced thin
• 4  tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon sage, dried ground
• 1⁄2 teaspoon thyme, dried leaves
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 1  cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth or pork broth if you happen to have some on hand)
• 2  tablespoons flour
• 1⁄4 cup cold water
•  salt (to taste)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a metal roasting pan, loosely drizzle 2 tbs. olive oil around the entire bottom of the pan. Slice onions and place into the pan in a single layer.
3. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the garlic powder, onion powder, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub into the meat, making sure to coat all sides of the loins/roast. Place loins/roast into the center of the roasting pan atop the layer of onions. Drizzle with remaining olive oil.
4. Roast uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a meat thermometer reaches 180 F or the juices run clear when piercing the thickest part of the meat. If cooking a whole roast (rather than two separate loins), it may take 15-20 minutes longer to cook thoroughly. Be sure to check the onions in the bottom of the pan occasionally to ensure they aren't burning too much.
5. Once meat is cooked through, remove to a serving platter. Scoop onions out of the pan and arrange around or atop the loins/roast. Cover loosely with foil until ready to serve.
6. Place roasting pan atop two stove top burners set at medium-low heat (metal roasting pan only!). Deglaze the pan with the vegetable broth (pour into the bottom of the pan and with a wooden spoon, scrape up all the dark bits from the bottom of the pan). Don't worry if the liquid looks dark; it's supposed to look that way.
7. In a small bowl, to make the thickener mixture, whisk together flour and water until smooth. Slowly pour a portion of the thickener into the liquid in the pan while whisking at the same time. Repeat until desired thickness is reached. If desired, add more salt to taste.
8. For a smoother consistency (if you don't want stray bits of onion in your gravy), pour through a wire mesh strainer into your favorite gravy serving dish.
9. Slice pork loins/roast into 1/2 inch pieces. Serve with blackened onions and a drizzle of gravy on top.