Herb Crusted Pork Roast

Finally, I'm caught up! Pork loin roasts were on sale at the grocery store this week, and I still had mine in the fridge, so I didn't even have to defrost anything. We've only had this one other time before, but it was really yummy. It's in the oven right now and smells so good!! THe husband loved walking in to a house that smelled like yummy dinner. Normally I don't even start dinner until he gets home. I'm a good little homemaker wife tonight I guess. ;)

Herb Crusted Pork Loin

1 (4-pound) boneless pork loin, with fat left on
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil or 2 teaspoons fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

Place the pork loin on a rack in a roasting pan. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. With your fingers, massage the mixture onto the pork loin, covering all of the meat and fat.

Roast the pork for 30 minutes, fat side up, then reduce the heat to 425 degrees F and roast for an additional hour. Test for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F, remove the roast from the oven. Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes before carving. It will continue to cook while it rests.

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I'm only using a 1.5 pound roast because we can't eat a whole four pound roast. After I made this last time we found out that the leftover meat isn't nearly as good as when it's fresh, so I wanted to do a smaller one so we'd eat most of it tonight. We're going to have baked potatoes with it and maybe some peas or green beans.