Roast Bone-In Pork Loin With Potatoes

Bone-in pork loin roast is a sleeper hit for holiday celebrations. Less expensive than beef and more festive-feeling than chicken, this low-maintenance cut of pork resists drying out in the oven and requires minimal prep time, but feels impressive enough to say “it’s a party.”

As usual, the Italians know what’s up. In Tuscany, pork loin is known as arista, a word that comes from the Greek aristos, meaning “the best” (Greek bishops visiting Florence in 1450 declared it so). There, it’s normally studded with garlic and rosemary and cooked on a spit. If you don’t have a spit handy, though, the oven does the job perfectly.

Somewhat unusually, this pork loin roast recipe has you sear the chopped potatoes in a skillet before adding them to the roasting pan. This coaxes additional flavor from the starchy potatoes, which still soak up plenty of the delicious pan drippings. To make this pork entrée even more delicious, you don’t need a marinade; just sprinkle some kosher salt and black pepper on it a day before cooking. Allow the meat to come to room temperature before you slide it in the oven for a generous (but hands-off) cook time.

Carving a rib roast requires a sharp knife, a steady hand, and an anchored cutting board (seriously, place a damp paper towel under your cutting board—you do not want it shifting around as you carve this beautiful cut of meat). Depending on how hungry your crowd is, you can cut the whole loin off the ribs and thinly slice the boneless meat to serve. However, if your guests would like to gnaw on the bones (hint: they do), you can simply carve between the individual bones to serve the cooked pork as chops. Either way, there are plenty of potatoes to go around.