Roast Pork with Cinnamon Cranberries and Sweet Potatoes

You can substitute peach marmalade (Chapter 5) for the orange marmalade and orange juice called for in this recipe. Doing so will add a subtle taste of peaches and pineapple to the dish, too.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 (3-pound) pork butt roast
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 (16-ounce) can sweetened whole cranberries
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• ¼ cup orange marmalade
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
• Optional: 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Optional: 2 tablespoons cold water

1. Place the pork, fat side up, in the slow cooker. Salt and pepper to taste. Combine the cranberries, onion, marmalade, orange juice, cinnamon, and cloves in a large measuring cup; stir to mix and then pour over the pork roast. Arrange the sweet potatoes around the meat. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until the pork is tender and pulls apart easily.
2. To serve with a thickened sauce, transfer the meat and sweet potatoes to a serving platter. Cover and keep warm. Skim any fat off of the pan juices. (You’ll want about 2 cups of juice remaining in the cooker.) Cover and cook on the high setting for 30 minutes, or until the pan liquids begin to bubble around the edges. In a coffee cup, combine the cornstarch with the water. Whisk into the liquid in the slow cooker. Reduce temperature setting to low and continue to cook and stir for an additional 2 minutes or the cornstarch flavor has cooked out of the sauce and it is thickened and bubbly.