Here’s another Christmas dinner idea, crown roast of pork with apple pancetta couscous. The combination of flavors in the dish are really nice. Once cut and served, the juicy pork chops are the perfect partner for the sweet savory couscous.
Crown roast of pork is a great dish for the holidays, it’s tasty, feeds a crowd and looks impressive once served.
A crown roast of pork is usually two uncut center racks of ribs tied together in a crown formation. Make life simple and order one from the butcher, and ask them to remove the excess fat and sinew.
Allow two chops for each serving. To make sure you have enough to feed your guests, tell your butcher how many you plan on feeding. My crown roast had 11 chops and weighed approx. 6 lb, perfect for 5-6 people.
Once you get your crown roast home, prepping and cooking is an easy process. You simply season with salt and spices, cover the bones with some foil to avoid burning and pop it in the oven. Or go one step further, as I did, and create a complementing partner to go with it. You can also stuff it, or cook it on its own and serve with the your favorite sides.
Crown roasts can be created from many types of meat, the most popular being lamb and veal. Both of these examples cost way more than this pork alternative, making crown roast of pork with apple pancetta couscous nicely affordable.
If you haven’t agreed on what to serve for Christmas and you want something that will not break the bank, consider this recipe. It will not disappoint.
Crown Roast of Pork with Apple Prosciutto Couscous
Ingredients
Crown Roast
- 12 bone crown roast of pork
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Apple Prosciutto Couscous
- 1 cup pearled couscous
- 2 cups pancetta diced
- 1/2 cup shallots sliced
- 2 granny smith apples peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp honey
Equipment & Utensils
- Roasting tin with wire rack
- Large skillet with cover
- Slotted spoon
- Foil
- Meat thermometer
Instructions
- Mix together garlic, paprika, mustard, salt and pepper.
- Pat and press seasoning onto crown roast and set aside.
- Cook couscous as directed on the packaging, then set aside.
- Heat skillet and once hot add pancetta.
- Cook pancetta, but do not allow it to crisp, as this will likely toughen the pancetta.
- Remove skillet from heat and remove pancetta from skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside. Keep the oil in the skillet and use for next stage.
- Return skillet to high heat and add shallots and apples.
- Cook until flavors release, stirring ingredients regularly to avoid browning.
- Lower heat to low, add honey and mix to combine, and then cover skillet.
- Allow to cook or approx. 10 mins, until the apple softens completely.
- Add cooked couscous and pancetta and mix thoroughly ensuring all of the ingredients are warmed through.
- Spoon as much of the couscous mixture into the top of the crown roast as you can until it reaches halfway up the bones.
- Cover skillet with rest of couscous for serving later.
- With some foil, cover the bones and couscous to avoid burning.
- Carefully place crown roast on the wire rack of the roasting tin and place in a preheated oven at 500.
- Allow to cook for 30 minutes, then lower heat to 375.
- Cook crown roast until its temperature reaches 155 (approx. 2 hours).
- Make sure to check temperature while cooking so as not to overcook and dry out.
- Once cooked, reheated the reserved couscous and serve with crown roast.
