Romanian

Medium · Hot

Garlic-Roasted Pork Loin with Potatoes

The loin gets studded with garlic and rubbed with thyme before it meets the oven, the potatoes arranged around it to catch every drop of rendered fat as the meat tightens and browns. What comes out is tender in the center, crackling at the edge, with potatoes that have soaked up the whole story. Good Sunday food — patient, plain, and deeply satisfying.

Recipe by

Andrei Popescu

The Sarmale Roller

Prep

20 min

Cook

40 min

Rest

10 min

Total

1h 10m

Method

Season the pork

Mix the minced garlic, salt, black pepper, and paprika with the olive oil into a paste. Rub this all over the pork loin, pressing it into every crevice. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Sear the pork

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place the pork loin in and sear 3 minutes per side until a deep golden crust forms. This step seals in the juices and builds flavor.

Roast with potatoes

Toss the potato chunks with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Arrange them around the pork in the pot. Slide into a 180°C (356°F) oven and roast for 35-40 minutes until the pork reads 63°C (145°F) at its thickest part and potatoes are golden and fork-tender.

Make the yogurt sauce

While the pork roasts, stir together the yogurt, minced garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice, and the chopped dill. Season with a pinch of salt. The yogurt should taste bright, garlicky, and a little sour — Andrei's way of hitting that sour note without borș.

Rest and slice

Pull the pot from the oven and let the pork rest 10 minutes. Resting is not optional — it keeps the juices from running across your cutting board. Slice the pork into medallions and serve alongside the roasted potatoes with a generous dollop of the garlic-yogurt sauce.

Nutri-Score

Excellent balance

A–E · lower is better · score -1

Calories

568

per serving

High in protein · 49gLow sugar · 5g

Protein

49g

Carbs

33g

Fat

26g

Sat. fat

Fiber

Sugar

Sodium

1628mg

Gluten FreeHeart HealthyDiabetes FriendlyLow SodiumHigh ProteinBalancedLow Carb Modification

Nutri-Score is a general nutritional-balance guide, not medical or dietary advice.

Environmental impact

Very high impact

A–E · lower is better · includes estimates

kg CO₂e

2.7

per serving

ECarbonAEU all-round· carbon sets the grade

Water

1.2m³

Land

86Pt

Runoff

0.2g P

Pork loin drives 90% of this recipe’s estimated footprint.

Carbon from Poore & Nemecek 2018; water, land & runoff from Agribalyse — modelled averages for comparing recipes, not a measurement of your groceries.

Flavor Profile

Umami

Sweet

Salty

Sour

Bitter

Spicy

Textures

CrispyTenderCreamyJuicy

Aromas

HerbalSmokyGarlickyEarthyFatty

Kitchen Equipment

Primary Tool

Dutch Oven

Dutch Oven Chef Knife Cutting Board Mixing Bowl Wooden SpoonKitchen TongsMeat Thermometer Aluminum Foil

Counter FootprintMedium

Techniques

Searing Roasting SeasoningRestingSlicing

Safety & Storage

Cooking Temperature

Pork loin must reach an internal temperature of 63°C (145°F) to ensure safety against parasites and bacteria. Use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast.

Handling

Do not let raw pork sit at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. The 20-minute seasoning window is acceptable but monitor closely in warm kitchens.

Cross Contamination

Never use the same utensils, cutting boards, or plates for raw pork and ready-to-eat foods like the yogurt sauce. Reserve separate equipment for raw meat preparation.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover pork and yogurt sauce separately within 2 hours of cooking. The yogurt sauce is highly perishable and must be kept cold. Consume leftovers within 3-4 days.

High Risk Population

For pregnant individuals, elderly, young children, or immunocompromised persons, strict adherence to pork cooking temperature is critical to prevent foodborne illness from parasites or bacteria.

Pro Tips

Technique

Don't skip the sear—that deep golden crust is not just color, it seals in every drop of juice. And when it's done, let it rest. I don't care if you're hungry. Ten minutes under foil and your slices stay wet instead of running across the cutting board.

Substitution

No fresh dill? Use flat-leaf parsley and a good squeeze of lemon—the sour note is what matters, not the exact herb. And if you have no yogurt, sour cream works just as well for that cool tang.

From the chef

A pork loin studded with garlic, rubbed with paprika and thyme, seared until the outside sings, then roasted with potatoes arranged around it to catch every drop of rendered fat — this is Sunday food, patient and plain and deeply satisfying. The meat tightens and browns while the potatoes go golden, and when it comes out of the oven you let it rest ten minutes before slicing, which is not optional. The yogurt sauce at the end — garlic, lemon, fresh dill — is the sour punch that brings everything alive when borș is nowhere to be found. Simple food done right.

Andrei PopescuThe Sarmale Roller

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TagsPorkGarlicPaprikaPotatoesYogurt SauceDillLemon

AllergensMilk

Source: generated · May 30, 2026