Herby Pork Shoulder Roast

Herby Pork Shoulder Roast with Sweet Potatoes

Serves 6 to 8

This is a low and slow roast that feels like a complete meal with the addition of sweet potatoes. This recipe uses fresh herbs in two ways. The first is through an herb paste that gets slathered over the pork shoulder prior to roasting and then there’s a second fresh herb sauce at the end to drizzle over everything. 

Ingredients

For the Pork
1 head of garlic, cloves separated, peeled and roughly chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary, oregano, and/or thyme
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 boneless pork shoulder (about 6 pounds)

For the Herb Sauce

2 cups mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley and basil
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, roughly chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon kosher salt 

For the Sweet Potatoes

6 skin-on sweet potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

To prepare pork: Add garlic, ¼ cup oil, maple syrup, ¼ cup herbs, 2 tablespoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Blend into a paste, scraping the sides down as necessary. Place the pork in an oven-proof pot with a fitted lid, preferably a dutch oven. Generously slather the pork with the herb paste covering all sides of the pork. Cover the pot with a lid and place in the oven. Cook until the pork is tender enough to easily be shred with two forks, about 3 to 4 hours. Take the cover off the pot for the last 30-40 minutes of cooking.

To prepare herb sauce: Blend 2 cups herbs, 1 cup oil, shallots, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon salt in a food processor. Transfer to a small bowl, set aside and cover.

To prepare sweet potatoes: Once you pull the pork out to rest, increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Toss the sweet potatoes in a large bowl with ¼ cup oil, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and paprika to coat. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring at least once, until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. 

Gently pull the pork into large pieces and place on a platter. Drizzle some of the sauce over the top of the meat and place the cooked sweet potato around it. Keep a little extra sauce on the side for extra drizzling.