Are you looking for a simple, seasonal, elegant and colorful meal for holiday dinner parties this December? This might be it! I’d like to say I’m selfless – testing out new recipes over Thanksgiving instead of cooking a traditional turkey – but really my family just doesn’t like turkey. This year we had a smaller crowd, so we didn’t go all out with lamb and rib roast. We bought a small(er) crowned pork roast that needed minimal TLC. You could brine this cut of pork, but really it will be juicy and tender without any advance preparation. That’s what is great about meat on the bone. I made up a simple honey, mustard and herb glaze for the meat and we roasted it to just medium. It was tender, juicy – and I’ll admit, there was some bone chewing (heck, it was just family!).

With extra potatoes from a (very successful) Domino Potato experiment and some seasonal pick-ups from the market, I threw together a colorful and super easy hash to compliment the pork. You could add any root vegetable you have on hand but I’m a sucker for any brussels sprout this time of year. Purple potatoes would be a really fun addition if you can find them! So, have fun with this and experiment. If its colorful and cooked in bacon fat, your guest will most likely love it.

Mustard, Honey and Herb Crusted Crowned Pork Roast 

• Crowned Pork Roast (4 to 5 bone)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon grain mustard
• 4 to 5 cloves of garlic confit – or roasted garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
• 2 tablespoons local honey
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Brussels Sprout and Potato Hash

• 1 package brussels sprouts, halved
• 3 sweet potatoes, cubed
• 3 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 4 slices of bacon
• butter
• olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook bacon in a large skillet. Remove bacon and keep fat in the pan. Meanwhile, microwave the sweet potatoes in a bowl for about 5 minutes or until tender. At this point, you want to sauté the sprouts and potatoes like you’re making hash browns. Add oil and butter as you need – remember butter adds flavor and oil raises the smoking-point. Sauté the brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and yukon potatoes separately on medium high. Add the shallots when you have room. They will all cook at different speeds. Once everything is brown, put them all on a baking sheet, add the bacon back in, and cook until tender.