Roast Pork with Cherry Sauce Recipe

One 3- to 4-pound boneless pork loin roast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
One 14-ounce can red tart pitted cherries in water
1½ cups sugar
¼ cup cider vinegar
12 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
3 to 4 drops red food coloring, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Combine the salt, pepper, and sage in a small bowl; mix well. Rub the pork roast with the mixture and place in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish, fat side up. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F on a meat thermometer.
3. Drain the cherries, reserving the liquid. Add enough water to the cherry liquid to measure ¾ cup. Pour ½ cup of the liquid into a medium saucepan. Add the sugar, vinegar, cloves, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Remove the cloves and cinnamon and discard.
4. Combine the cornstarch with the reserved ¼ cup liquid and stir until the cornstarch has dissolved completely. Using a whisk, stir the cornstarch mixture into the hot cherry liquid. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the lemon juice, butter, cherries, and food coloring, if desired. Cook 1 minute longer to heat thoroughly.
Place pork on cutting board and let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with the cherry sauce.

Serves 8 to 10.

Tips From Our Test Kitchen: For a sweet/tart sauce, use less sugar.