My first successful oven roast!

I’m totally embarrassed to admit this, but I had never (until today) roasted a large piece of meat in the oven.  Not even at Thanksgiving.  I usually opt for the crock pot because it’s so mindless, and I’d much rather cook something on the stove than heat up the house with the oven, AND I’m always afraid that something undefinably horrible will happen if I neglect it.  I think my fears are dissipating because tonight’s dinner was a success!

 

I didn’t use a specific recipe, but I consulted two of my favorite cookbooks — Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Cooking — for roasting tips.  I made a dry rub out of salt, pepper, marjoram, onion powder, and nutmeg, seared the Boston Butt, then cooked it at 300 degrees.  It took about three hours, and it was three or four pounds.  Red potatoes, turnips, and green apples (all cut into large chunks) were added to the roasting pan toward the end.  I also roasted my butternut squash for tomorrow night’s dinner on a cookie sheet in the same oven.

 

Yummy pork roast!

 

It tasted great but could use a little color…some ideas my friends had were to add some carrots and celery, or to serve collards as a side.  The bone will be used to make my (no longer vegan) split pea soup later this week.