Beer-Roasted Pork, Mashed Potatoes, and Roasted Vegetables

Wow! Delicious! What a fun Fall meal. I had to use a pork roast instead of the shoulder the recipe calls for since I didn't need the 12-pound cut I could find at the grocery store. This significantly cut down on the cook time (it only really took about 30 minutes in the oven), so be advised if you need to change your cut.

After I took the pork out of the oven to rest, I put the veggies back in with some of the drippings to get them roasted up a bit more.



Beer-Roasted Pork Shoulder
A variation on this recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray

1 tablespoon caraway seeds
Salt and pepper
One 4-to 5-pound pork shoulder, thick skin removed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
1 carrot, scrubbed and chopped
1 rib celery with leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Two 14.5-ounce cans beef broth
1 bottle dark beer
3 to 4 tablespoons flour

Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Mix the caraway seeds with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper and season the pork shoulder with the spice mixture.

In a medium roasting pan or large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Place the pork in the pan and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes total. Add the onions, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to caramelize, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the beef broth to the pan and pour the beer over the meat. Transfer to the oven and roast, basting occasionally with the juices, until the center of the pork registers 155ºF on an instant-read thermometer, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Transfer the meat to a platter, tent loosely with foil and let stand.

Strain the pan juices into a large heatproof bowl. Return veggies to the pan and continue roasting until caramelized. Skim the fat off the top of the pan juices, then pour the juices into a saucepan. Stir the flour into 1/4 cup water to form a paste. Whisk the paste into the pan juices and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the pork shoulder and serve with the pan gravy.

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Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

Potatoes of your choice, peeled and chopped
Butter
Milk or cream
Salt and pepper
Onions and/or shallots, sliced

Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add onions/shallots and cook until tender and deeply caramelized.

Add potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Bring water to boil and cook until potatoes are fork-tender. Mash with butter, milk/cream, salt and pepper.