Cold Pork Roast With Fennel and Green Bean Salad

Updated Dec. 14, 2022

Cold Pork Roast With Fennel and Green Bean Salad
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes, plus several hours’ seasoning
Rating
5(222)
Comments
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The intensely aromatic garlic and herb seasoning gives this pork roast outstanding flavor. It is best seasoned a day in advance of cooking (or at least a few hours ahead), and the roast itself may be cooked up to a day before serving. Served with a simple salad of fennel and green beans, it makes a perfect summer meal.

Featured in: A ‘Cold Supper’ That Goes Beyond Leftovers

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

    For the Roast

    • 1boneless pork loin roast, about 4 pounds
    • Kosher salt
    • 8cloves garlic, minced
    • 3tablespoons roughly chopped fennel fronds, plus extra fronds for garnish
    • 2teaspoons fennel seed, crushed in a mortar or spice mill
    • 1teaspoon fennel pollen (optional)
    • 1teaspoon lemon zest
    • 2tablespoons roughly chopped rosemary
    • 2tablespoons roughly chopped sage
    • 2tablespoons roughly chopped marjoram
    • ½teaspoon red pepper flakes (peperoncino)
    • 1teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
    • 2tablespoons olive oil

    For the Salad

    • 1small garlic clove, minced
    • 2tablespoons lemon juice
    • Salt and pepper
    • 3tablespoons olive oil
    • 1pound green beans, or a mixture of green beans, yellow beans and Romano beans, trimmed
    • 2heads fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

447 calories; 25 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 43 grams protein; 848 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. For the Roast

    1. Step 1

      Season pork loin generously on all sides with salt (about 2 tablespoons).

    2. Step 2

      In a small bowl, combine garlic, fennel fronds, fennel seeds, fennel pollen if using, lemon zest, rosemary, sage, marjoram, red pepper flakes, black pepper and olive oil. Rub and pat mixture on loin, then wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for several hours, or preferably overnight. Bring to room temperature before roasting.

    3. Step 3

      Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place a rack in a roasting pan. Put loin on the rack and roast for about an hour, until a thermometer registers 130 degrees. Let cool to room temperature before serving. If desired, after cooling you can wrap and refrigerate loin for up to 24 hours, then return to room temperature.

  2. For the Salad

    1. Step 4

      For the dressing, put garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and whisk in olive oil.

    2. Step 5

      Blanch beans in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then drain and cool. Put beans and fennel in a salad bowl, season lightly with salt and toss with dressing. (Dress salad about 20 minutes before serving.)

    3. Step 6

      To serve, cut roast into ¼-inch slices. arrange on a platter and garnish with reserved fennel fronds. Pass the salad separately.

Ratings

5 out of 5
222 user ratings
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Comments

This is a wonderful summer dinner--easy, and full of flavor. Don't season the pork initially with so much salt--1 tablespoon was fine. I've made this three times and the time is always one hour to one and a quarter hours. I didn't enjoy this salad as much as the pork, and substituted a green bean and potato salad the second and third time I served it.

This is a superb dish for a summer outdoor dinner party. Fennel pollen is very important, not "optional" as recipe suggests. I applaud the direction to cook pork to 130 degrees. DO NOT OVERCOOK THIS DISH. I cooked on a Friday and chilled the roast until Saturday, then sliced and served at room temp. Ideal!

Ditto with joanhc. Excellent pork recipe, and excellent cooked to 130 as recommended. The salad was forgettable. Pork to be repeated, salad not to be repeated.

Oh my this is so good! The fennel definitely comes through, permeating the pork with its lovely flavors. I'm fortunate to have retired to a semi rural part of northern CA, expat from NYC burbs. There's a field of fennel nearby where I foraged the leaves and flower umbels (Aug) to harvest the pollen (by rubbing the ripe yellow flowers between my fingers). About 10 flower umbels yielded 1 tsp pollen. That's why it's $$$ in stores. Was it worth the trouble?YES! Do look for wild foods to forage.

So delicious! Served with saffron spring onions and green beans with walnut gremolata (sp?)

5 stars for the pork. It is easy, supremely tasty, and conveniently made ahead—great for a dinner party. Didn't make the salad because of the other comments. Instead, made a haricot vert and new potato salad with mustard dressing.

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