My Mom's "Sonntagsbraten" (Sunday Pot Roast)

This is my Mom's fantastic pot roast. The best is the delicious homemade gravy! So delicious over some mashed potatoes. The secret are the spices that my Mom uses to rub the pork roast with. We do like our hot spices and my Mom uses her typical mix of garlic, harissa, biber salcasi and sambal olek. She also adds some mustard. It's a feast and it tastes just incredibly fantastic every time :)

Ingredients:

• 2 lb pork loin (boneless, tender)
• salt
• 2-3 cloves garlic - minced 
• 2 tsp Biber Salcasi (Turkish hot red chili pepper paste)
• 2 tsp Sambal Oelek (Indonesian style chili-based sauce with garlic, lime, ginger)
• 2 tsp Harissa (Tunesian hot chili sauce)
• 2 tsp mustard
• 3 Tbsp oil 
• 1 Tbsp butter 

• salt, pepper (for gravy)
• 2 Tbsp gravy thickener (or corn starch)

side dishes

• mashed potatoes
• veggies (peas and carrotts, beans, brussel sprouts, etc.)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 390 degree Fahrenheit (200 degree Celsius).

1. Glaze the pork roast: Wash the pork loin and dry it. Then, salt it and rub in the minced garlic, the Biber Salcasi, Sambal Olek, Harissa and mustard, evenly across the entire pork loin. Let sit for 30 minutes. Before starting to roast, add some flakes of butter.
2. Roast the pork: Add the oil to a casserole dish so that the bottom is covered. Place the pork loin in it. Roast for about 1.5 hours in total. After 45 minutes, rotate the pork loin. Every 20-30 minutes, baste the pork roast with some of the hot oil from the casserole. As soon as the oil with the spice and garlic drippings from the pork turn dark or the liquid evaporates, add some water to the casserole. In case the pork roast turns too dark, cover with some tin foil. To see when the pork is done,  my mother uses a long skewer and pierces the meat with it. When it slides in and out without any resistance, the pork is done. Also, juices that come out should be clear. I don't suggest to use a meat thermometer, as the pork is roasted for a long time and the internal temperature will be reached way before the meat reaches the desired tenderness. When prok roast is ready, take out of the casserole and keep warm while you prepare the gravy. Cover it up.
3. Prepare the gravy: The flavor for the gravy will come from the liquid (oil, water, spice drippings from the roast) in which the pork was roasted. Pour that liquid in a separate frying pan and heat up on the stove. Pour some water into the casserole, scrape the sides, stir and heat up in the oven again. Add it to the frying pan. Repeat, till the casserole is clean. Use every bit of the flavors. Then, add a little bit more water to the frying pan and spice with a little bit of salt and pepper. Don't use too much water or too much salt/pepper, you want to have the natural and strong flavors from the roast. Right now, the sauce will be too thin, so add some gravy thickener and bring to a boil. Add more salt, pepper or gravy thickener if needed.
4. Serve: Slice the pork roast. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes and veggies. Drizzle the gravy over the pork and the mashed potatoes.

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