Ingredients:
1 boneless, rolled pork loin roast, about 3 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly ground pepper (to taste)
3/4 cup apple cider
3 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms or 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
2 leeks, trimmed, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) dried cherries or raisins (note: Melissa and I think you should use twice as much, so at least 1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the roast in a shallow baking dish. Rub with 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp of thyme leaves, 2 tsp of salt and ground pepper to taste. Pour apple cider over the roast. Cook, basting occasionally, until a meat thermometer registers 150 degrees for medium (about one hour). Remove from oven and let the roast sit for 15 minutes before cutting.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and leeks. Cook until golden and tender (3-4 minutes). Stir in vinegar and cherries; increase heat to medium high. Cook, stirring constantly, until vinegar evaporates, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the vegetables and stir to melt sugar and coat veggies. Stir in remaining 2 tsp of thyme, 1/2 tsp of salt, and ground pepper to taste. Slice roast; serve with relish.

Notes:
Prep time: about 15-20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Standing time: 15 minutes

To save some cash you can use button mushrooms in place of shiitake, and raisins in place of dried cherries. Personally I think that it would be good to double the amount of cherries in the recipe – we thought there weren’t enough.