Pork Roast With Apples And Shallots - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 - 3 lbs boneless pork loin roast (or Boston butt as above)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon lavender (optional)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (use 1 t if using butt or shoulder)
8 shallots, peeled and quartered
1 lb apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges (Golden Delicious or Granny Smith - 2 to 3 medium)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Preparation

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat pork dry, sprinkle with herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown pork well on all sides. Transfer pork to a large plate.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pot. If using butt or shoulder, drain all but 2 tablespoons oil from pot as these are cuts with fat versus the loin. Add the shallots and cook about 3 minutes. Add the apples and sugar and cook about 5 minutes.
Off the heat, return the pork and any accumulate juices to the pot. Place a sheet of foil over the pot and press to seal, then cover tightly with a lid. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook until pork reaches an internal temperature of about 145 degrees, about 35 to 55 minutes (160F for butt & shoulder, about 85 minutes).
Remove pot from oven and transfer pork to a cutting board, tent loosely with the foil and let rest 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir butter into the apple-shallot mixture, season with salt and pepper.
Slice the pork and serve with apple-shallot mixture.