Roasted Pork Lion with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Here is a recipe that just has to be shared. This is one of the tastiest pork dishes I have had in quite some time, and the sauce even doubles as a killer salad dressing. So here we go folks, courtesy of every-one's favorite Italian goddess, Giada De Laurentiis.

Ingredients:

SAUCE

2 heads of garlic
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

PORK LOIN

1 3.5 to 4.5 lb pork roast
salt and pepper for seasoning

Serves 6-8

Preheat your oven to 475. Slice the heads in half cross wise. Place the halves on a piece of tin foil and drizzle with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Crumple the foil together to make an airtight packet. Roast for about an hour until golden and soft.

Thirty minutes into the roasting of the garlic, place your pork lion in the oven. Be sure to season all sides, and roast for about 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 140-145 degrees. No need to cook until absolutely well done. The days of trichinosis are behind us!

To prepare the sauce, open the packet of roasted garlic and put the flesh into a blender by squeezing the bottom of each half and allowing the cloves to pop out. Add in parsley, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, and pulse until well blended. Drizzle in the olive oil slowly while the blender is running, and you are all set. Once Pork is out of the oven allow it to rest for about 7 or 8 minutes, and then slice into 3/4 inch thick pieces, and serve topped with plenty of the sauce. I served this the other night with biscuits, buttermilk mashed potatoes, and a salad. This will feed a big group, so invite your friends over and have a party!