Pork Roasted the Way Tuscans Do

On a work surface, mince the sage, rosemary, pepper, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and fennel pollen together (I omitted pollen). Add mixture to the Dijon mustard.

Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cook the pork, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Slather the entire pork with the Dijon mustard mixture.

Cut the baguette in half the long way and scoop out the soft insides. Brush the inside of the baguette with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. (Or do what I did and spray the inside with olive oil Pam spray). Place the pork on the inside of the baguette so that the pork is completely enclosed. Trim off the excess ends of the bread. Tie the baguette, at 1-to 2-inch intervals, with kitchen string.

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Place the pork on a baking sheet and roast until done, 148°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part, 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let rest 10 minutes. Remove the strings and cut into slices. Serve.

* I used a Trader Joe’s Artisan Bread French Baguette. You want to get one that is pretty round all around and not too flat in the middle because the bread has to “hug” the pork as much as possible. Next time I would also try to scoop out as little bread as possible since that was the best part. (Maybe try leaving 1/2-inch of bread all along the inside – if this isn’t possible it won’t matter because it’ll be delicious even with only a little bit of bread).
* I would also use 1/2 teaspoon more of sage and rosemary next time I make this.

**Feel free to swap different herbs for the pork – maybe try thyme for the sage. My next attempt will be with the herb mixture from this recipe.