Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 quarts vegetable oil
2 cups ripe plantains, peeled and deveined, finely chopped
2 cups longaniza, sliced crosswise into 1-inch pieces, then halved lengthwise
2 1/2 pounds pork loin
Brine Solution
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
2/3 cup Sweet Plantain Mash
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 sprigs fresh oregano
Sour Orange Gastrique
Preparation
Place vegetable oil in a small pot and heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees. Add chopped plantains and fry until golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate; set aside.
Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add longaniza and cook, stirring, until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place pork loin on a cutting board. Cut pork loin lengthwise, stopping about 1 inch from the opposite end. Open pork loin like a book and pound using meat mallet until it is 1/3-inch-thick. Transfer pork loin to a baking dish and cover with brine solution. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to 40 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine fried plantains, longaniza, scallions, and cilantro; toss to combine. Add sweet plantain mash and mix thoroughly. Place half of the plantain mixture in the center of a 12-by-12-inch piece of plastic wrap and roll tightly like a cigar; twist ends to enclose.
Remove pork loin from brine and place on a parchment-paper-lined cutting board with the long side of the pork loin facing you. Unroll filling and place on the edge closest to you; roll pork loin away from you, like a jelly roll. Using kitchen twine, tie pork loin in 1 1/2-inch intervals to retain its shape. Wrap tenderloin with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Coat the bottom of a large ovenproof skillet with olive oil and place over high heat. Unwrap tenderloin and season with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and cook, turning frequently, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and roast for 45 minutes. Add butter, garlic, and oregano to pork loin and continue to roast, basting occasionally, until a thermometer inserted into pork reads 165 degrees, about 2 minutes more.
Transfer pork loin to a platter and let stand 10 minutes. Remove kitchen twine and cut pork loin crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve with and remaining plantain mixture and sour orange gastrique.
