Pork Loin Stuffed with Brautwurst

I know zip, zilch, zero, nada, nichts, absolutely nothing about German food.  I will now formally apologize to all the German folks out there, some of them really good friends, I just don't get it or understand it.  Names of food like Sauerbraten, Wienerschnitzel, Rouladen, Goulash; just don't sound that appetizing to me.  My soul exposure to German food has been Ruben Sandwiches, Sauerkraut on my hot dog a few times and visits to Der Wienerschnitzel through the drive-thru as a kid.  But, one of my dearest friends is full-blooded German and one of the best cooks I know.  Yesterday he suggested a garlic peppercorn flavored pork loin stuffed with brautwurst.  I didn't want to tell him at the time that I have never even tasted brautwurst.  I'm telling you it's just the name that turns me off, but I bought it, I cooked it and I really liked it!  I got a few instructions from him and dove right it in.  It is probably different than what he told me, a few minutes had passed by the time I got home from the store and my CRS is kicking in big time lately.  So here is my French, Spanish and Irish blood-lines interpretation of German food, well sort of, if you get really technical.

Pork Loin Stuffed with German Brautwurst

1 pre-packaged Garlic and Peppercorn marinated Pork Loin (about 1 1/2 pounds), split length-wise and butterflied, pounded out until about 1/2" thick

3 links brautwurst

fresh baby spinach (I forgot this part),  it is really more to show the different layers than for flavor

4-6 Tbls parsley, roughly chopped

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

4 Tbls Dijon mustard + more to coat outside of pork loin

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread out flattened pork loin, long side closest to you.  Lay fresh spinach in single layer on pork loin. Remove and discard casings from Brautwurst and spread on top of layer of spinach.  Sprinkle top of Brautwurst with cayenne, garlic salt, pepper and parsley.  Press into Brautwurst a little.  Spread Dijon mustard over top of parsley.  Roll pork loin, starting with side closest to you.  Place seam side down on baking sheet covered with foil. Coat outside of rolled pork loin with remaining Dijon mustard.  Bring ends of foil up to ends of pork loin to keep stuffing from coming out during roasting, do not cover with foil.  Roast pork loin for about 35 minutes.  Internal temperature 150 degrees.  Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.  Serves 4.  (Vielen Dank, Emil)

With this, I served salad with Raspberry Walnut Dressing and cherry tomatoes, toasted walnuts, dried cherries and goat cheese along with wild rice with the stuffed pork loin.  You can see where the spinach layer would have really made a difference with the presentation.  I think next time I will make a dijon wine sauce to go with this but it turned out really moist and delicious as it was.

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