From Miranda's Kitchen: Roast Pork with Puree of Winter Squash and Swiss Chard

Roast Pork with Puree of Winter Squash and Swiss Chard

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients:
1 whole pork shoulder/butt
1 large bunch of fresh sage, chopped
1 bottle of beer (a lager, preferably)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 Tbs dijon or whole grain mustard
2 Tbs honey
Salt & Pepper
2 good-sized delicata squash (butternut would also work well, but only use 1)
4 Tbs butter
4 tsp brown sugar
1 large bunch of chard (Swiss, rainbow, etc.)
Olive oil
1/4 cup veal stock
1/4 cup white wine

Instructions:
Rinse pork and pat dry. Mix 1/3 of the chopped sage (reserve remainder), minced garlic, mustard, honey, and salt and pepper and rub mixture all over the pork. Place the pork in a large dish and pour the beer over it. Roll the pork in the beer and then cover and marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight, turning pork occasionally.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the pork from the marinade and place in a roasting pan with a rack. Roast the pork until a thermometer inserted in the center registers 150 degrees (about 1 hour 30 min, depending on the size of the roast. Note that the pork will continue to cook inside after being removed from the oven. You may wish to take the pork out a few degrees shy of 150).

Meanwhile, cut the squash into halves (lengthwise) and scoop out the seeds. Divide another 1/3 of the sage among the cavities. Also add 1 Tbs of butter to each cavity and 1 tsp of brown sugar to each cavity. Season with salt and pepper and place in the same oven with the pork on a baking sheet. Cook covered with foil for about 1 hour and then remove foil. Roast another 15 min or so until squash is fork-tender. Remove from the oven and discard the sage leaves. Scoop the squash meat out and place in a food processor. Puree until smooth, season with salt and pepper.

Rip the chard leaves into smaller pieces, rinse and dry. Dice the stems.
Heat olive oil in a saute pan until very hot. Add the remaining 1/3 chopped sage and fry until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on towels. Add the chard and stems to the remaining oil and saute until limp and softened - season with salt and pepper.

Prepare a pan sauce by heating the veal stock and wine to a low boil. Reduce for a few minutes. Whisk in some of the pork fat and pan juices from the roasting pan. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 Tbs of butter.

To serve: after the pork has reached the proper temperature, slice it into thick slices. On each plate, mound the puree and the chard side by side. Place the slices of pork on top and drizzle the pan sauce over the pork and around the vegetables. Sprinkle the fried sage on top.

Serve with: a crispy Sauvingnon Blanc or with a Weisse beer

Bon Appetit!