A hearty meal in support of Finance

In preparation for the ominous Finance Midterm on Monday, it seems the entire business school is hard at work.  I'm supporting my meat-and-potatoes husband by making my first Pork roast. Keep in mind that all veggies (except the celery and garlic) were purchased at the Dane County Farmer's Market.

Pork Loin Roast with Root Veggies

1 boneless pork loin roast, about 2 lb (I got mine at Trader Joes for about $7, not bad considering this will probably feed us dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow, and probably a couple of lunches next week)

salt and pepper

2 tbsp canola oil

2 medium, or 3 small, yellow onions, sliced, not too thin

1-3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 carrots (yes, I put these in voluntarily. I'm trying, people!)

3 parsnips (I added more carrots instead - really!)

6 medium red potatoes, or 2 large potatoes of another variety, roughly chopped (you can peel if you want, but I think the skins are good, and they add nutrition)

2-3 turnips (or more potatoes), peeled and roughly chopped

a few stalks of celery, chopped to about 2" pieces

1 c. chicken or veggie broth, plus more as needed

Season the pork with salt and pepper on all sides.  In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm the canola oil. Sear the meat on all sides, until browned, about 10 minutes. During this step, I worked on the chopping and other prep. I just tossed the veggies into the slow cooker as I chopped them.  Remove the pork from the pan, place it in the slow cooker.

Pour off most of the fat in the pan.  Add the onion and saute until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add these to the slow cooker.  

Add salt and pepper and the broth (watch your salt if your broth is not low-sodium).  Cover and cook on the low setting for 6-8 hours, until the pork is very tender and the veggies are fully cooked.  

To serve, carve the pork into slices.  Spoon the veggies and cooking juices over the port.  Enjoy while wearing your slippers, since it's probably a chilly day.

(Recipe adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Slow Cooking)