Herbed Pork And Apples - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
6 pounds pork loin roast
4 tart apples - peeled, cored, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 red onion, chopped
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup apple juice
2/3 cup real maple syrup

Preparation

In a small bowl, combine the sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, salt and pepper. Rub over roast. Cover, and refrigerate roast for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Place roast in a shallow roasting pan, and bake in the preheated oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain fat.
In a medium bowl, mix apples and onion with brown sugar. Spoon around roast, and continue to cook for 1 hour more, or until the internal temperature of the roast is 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Transfer the roast, apples and onion to a serving platter, and keep warm.
To make the gravy, skim excess fat from meat juices. Pour drippings into a medium heavy skillet. Stir in apple juice and syrup. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until liquid has been reduced by half, about 1 cup. Slice the roast, and serve with gravy.