For many meals at my house the menu rarely changes, especially on a holiday. There is always turkey for Thanksgiving and a ham at Christmas. By the time Spring comes around with Easter to celebrate I’m ready to try something different. Sometimes a large roasting hen stuffed with lemon and herbs, sometimes stuffed pork chops and sometimes a baked ham. This year we are having a stuffed pork loin. This is one of my favorite cuts of meat and I’ve been buying them whenever they go on sale and keeping them in my freezer. The key to a good pork loin is don’t overcook it.

Sausage stuffed roast pork loin

Seasoning mix

1 teaspoon each of salt, paprika, ground black pepper, red pepper and garlic powder. In a small bowl combine all ingredients

Sausage stuffing

10 ounces of ground pork sausage

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

3 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 red pepper

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) boneless pork loin

Sausage stuffing

Seasoning mix

1 1/2 cup beef broth

1/2 cup red currant jelly

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Salt and black pepper

Lay the meat on a cutting board, fat side up. Using a large slicing knife, butterfly the roast by cutting meat along the entire length from middle of the thick side about 3/4 of the way through to the other side and the open meat out to resemble butterfly wings. Set aside. Prepare the stuffing and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay stuffing along the crease of the butterflied meat, packing it together tightly. Fold roast back together, keeping all stuffing tucked inside. Tie securely with kitchen twine. Mix the seasoning mix together and pat onto all sides and ends of the meat. Place meat in a roasting pan and bake until a meat thermometer inserted in center of meat registers 160 degrees (about an hour and 20 to 30 minutes). Remove the meat from the pan. Pour off the fat from the roasting pan and place the pan on a burner over medium-high heat. Add stock and stir to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the jelly and Tabasco sauce, cook rapidly until reduced by half, this may take about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a bowl. Remove the twine form the roast and cut into 1/2 –inch slices and arrange on a platter and pass the gravy along with it.

Christina Hall writes a weekly column for The Natchez Democrat. She can be reached at christina.hall@natchezdemocrat.com