Herbed Pork Roast and Apples

The other night I came up with this early fall meal, which turned out to be pretty popular with my whole family. I had gotten a pork loin roast for my target meat price of $1.99/lb. at Safeway a few weeks ago, and I had cut it into three pieces to cook individually. We were planning to grill this piece over the weekend, but due to bad weather I ended up baking it.

Inspired by a recipe in a grilling book, I cut the roast down the middle and pounded it somewhat flat (this took a little while). Then I spread it with a mixture of Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and chopped fresh parsley and basil from the garden. Then I rolled it up as best I could and tied it with cotton twine. It baked at 450 for about 10 minutes, then at 250 for an hour to an hour and a half.

The apples were a sudden inspiration when I realized that I didn't have a lot of time to peel and cook potatoes. I simply peeled the apples most of the way, sliced them thinly, and sauteed them in butter, adding a little cinnamon and sugar near the end. My girls absolutely loved them. Sweet and seasonal!

Cost for the meal (which fed us for two nights):
Pork roast - about $4 (@ $1.99/lb)
Apples - about $2 (@ $.99/lb)
Other ingredients - about $.50
Frozen peas - about $.60

Total: $7.10 total or $3.55 each night