Standing Pork Roast with Fresh Herbs

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, sage, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon each of kosher salt and pepper. Make eight small, deep incisions in the top of each pork roast. Stuff the incisions with garlic paste and spread the remaining paste all over the roasts. Season with salt.

2. Heat a large roasting pan in the oven until it is very hot, about 10 minutes. Set the pork roasts in the hot pan, fat side up. Roast the pork for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350° and continue to roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes longer, rotating the pan twice; the roasts are done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 150°. Transfer the roasts to a carving board and cover loosely with foil.

3. Pour the pan juices into a glass measuring cup. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the fat back into the roasting pan. Spoon off the remaining fat from the pan juices and discard. Set the roasting pan over 2 burners on low heat. Whisk in the flour until a paste forms. Slowly add the wine and cook over moderate heat until thickened, scraping up any browned bits, about 4 minutes. Whisk in the stock until smooth. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes. Strain the sauce into a medium saucepan, then strain the reserved roasting juices into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and keep warm over very low heat.

4. Carve the pork into chops and arrange on a warmed serving platter. Add any juices from carving the meat to the sauce and pour it into a gravy boat. Serve at once.

Make Ahead

The seasoned roasts can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before roasting.

Serve With

Spiced Pear Relish

Suggested Pairing

To complement the pork, look for a powerful, full-bodied Chardonnay with some oak, such as a Pouilly-Fuissé, or go for a fruit-driven red Burgundy.