It's one of my favorite seasons!!! Autumn and Spring are always my favorite seasons and I eagerly await their arrival each year. I also am in love with crock-pot recipes. With last Friday being the first day of Fall I decided to make a warm Fall dish for my boyfriend and I as we enjoyed a lazy day binge watching Netflix and cuddling. This dish is so easy it almost makes itself and blends apples, cranberries and sweet potatoes for a taste that just screams Fall. I paired it with a simple apple stuffing and roasted garlic mashed potatoes since my boyfriend is not a huge fan of sweet potatoes and even made an au jus gravy from the reserve in the crock-pot.
Sweet Cider Pork and au jus gravy
Ingredients
*Pork Tenderloin (1-2 lb) *2 apples (I used one Gala and one Granny Smith) *1-2 sweet potatoes *1 medium onion *1 can whole berry cranberry sauce (fresh cranberries weren’t in season yet) *1 bottle Angry Orchard crisp apple cider beer *1 individual sized bottle cranberry juice *1 jar sweet and sour sauce *2 tbsp black pepper *1 tsp salt *1 tbsp cinnamon *1 tbsp ground cayenne pepper *1 tbsp paprika
Directions
Slice onion and apple and cube sweet potatoes leaving skins intact.
Place in bottom of slow cooker and top with tenderloin. Pour half of beer in crockpot, then all remaining ingredients. Top with remaining beer to help dissolve cranberry sauce. Keep in low 6-7 hours.
If desired, take all Pork, onion, potato and apples out of crock-pot and slowly add in flour to thicken juices to form a gravy to top meat.
Apple Stuffing
Ingredients
*1 box cornbread stuffing mix *2 stalks celery, diced *1 small apple, diced *1 small onion, diced *3/4 stick butter *2 cups chicken broth
Directions
Sauté apple, celery and onion in 2 tbsp butter until soft.
Prepare stuffing according to package directions, substituting broth for water. While waiting for water to boil, preheat oven to 300. Fold in sautéed ingredients with stuffing then pour into small baking dish.
Bake 20-25 minutes until just starting to form a crust.
I served these with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a nice fruity moscato to counteract the tang of the cranberry and the apple beer. This was a major hit, with my boyfriend declaring it "the best dinner he has ever had" I hope your family enjoys it as much as we did!
