Dinner today - Stuffed Pork Roast and Zopf Bread

So, I am not a huge fan of pork roast, but this one was pretty good, if I do say so myself!  It's not that I have anything against pork roast, per se, it's just usually not my favorite.  But the stuffing, I think, really helped make it yummier for me.  So here it is!  Sorry, no picture...I'll try harder next time :)

Stuffed Pork Roast

Ingredients

• 1 (4 pound) center cut pork roast, bone-in
• 1/4 cup packed baby spinach
• 7 dried pineapple pieces *I didn't have these, so I used Craisins*
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 carrots, quartered
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 onion, quartered

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. With a kitchen towel or paper towels, pat dry the pot roast. Turn roast fat side up. With a paring knife, cut deep slits between each rib. Stuff each slit with spinach and dried pineapple. Wrap the roast with butchers' twine to hold the meat together.
3. In a large bowl, stir together rosemary, parsley, poultry seasoning, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cracked pepper, butter, and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Rub half of the mixture over the roast and inside the slits.
4. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over high heat. Sear the roast, turning to brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
5. Transfer roast to a roasting pan fat side up; scatter carrots, potatoes, and onion around the roast. Pour remaining rub mixture over vegetables.
6. Roast, uncovered, in a preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the internal temperature of the roast reads 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Remove roast, cover with an aluminum foil tent, and let rest 20 minutes to 1/2 hour to ensure moistness. Slice along each rib, and serve with pan gravy. 

And we also had Zopf bread with dinner.  I am definitely a sucker for a good bread recipe.  This one is supposed to be the recipe for my favorite bread of all time--Butterzopf straight from the bakery in Zurich, Switzerland where I used to live.  This recipe is definitely not as good as the real thing, but it's still a pretty good recipe.  And it's braided, so it looks lovely on the table!

Zopf Bread

Be warned--this recipe makes a LOT of bread.  Like 4 good sized loaves.  You might want to cut it in half.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups milk

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

5 eggs

3 tablespoons active dry yeast

11 cups flour

Directions

In medium saucepan, melt butter or margarine with milk. Do not boil. In a very large mixing bowl, combine milk mixture, water, sugar, salt, eggs, and yeast. Mix well, then add flour. Beat mixture until dough is soft. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 7 minutes or until

dough is smooth and has a satin look. Place in a large greased bowl and let rise until double.

Punch dough down and divide into 6 parts. Take each part and divide it into three pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-inch rope. Pinch three ropes together at the end and braid them together, pinching together again at the other end. Let all six loaves rise until double. If desired, brush tops with mixture of 1 tablespoon water and 1 egg. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes.