A roast that is hearty and light at the same time and can be served any time of the year. If rainbow chard is not in season, try cabbage, kale or collard greens to wrap the roast.

Plain green bell peppers are easily substituted for their more colorful cousins. I wanted to match the pepper colors to the rainbow chard. 

To reduce the fat and calories in this dish use a lighter version of the cream and/or the beer. 

See Also

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin With Marmalade Brown Sugar Glaze

Cider Braised Pork Loin With Cabbage

Silesian Pork Roast with Dried Fruit and White Wine

Ingredients

• 1+1/2 lb pork roast (one piece)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 slices of bacon
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 6 fresh rainbow chard leaves
• 1 cups bell pepper strips. (I used red, orange & yellow varieties)
• 1 cup sauerkraut, drained
• 12 ounces pale lager beer
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes

• Total Time: 75 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings

Preparation

Season the pork filet with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Chop the bacon strips into pieces.

Add the bacon pieces to a large skillet and cook over mediumheat until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked bacon pieces from the pan and set aside. When the bacon pieces have cooled enough to handle, chop into smaller pieces.

Add the canola oil to the bacon grease in the skillet. When the oil is hot, add the seasoned pork roast to the skillet and brown on all sides.

Remove the pork roast from the skillet and set aside. Reserve the skillet with the bacon grease and oil in it.

Bring a medium sized saucepan full of lightly salted water to a boil. Place a bowl of ice water next to the stove. Trim the stems off of the rainbow chard leaves and add them to the salted boiling water. Blanch the leaves in the salted water for about 1 minute, transfer them to the ice water and let them cool for a minute or two. drain and gently pat the leaves dry. 

Lay the blanched chard leaves out on a work surface, horizontally, making sure the leaves overlap one another.

Evenly distribute the bell pepper strips onto the overlapped chard leaves, placing them lengthwise on top of the leaves. They should be pointing in the opposite direction of the leaves. Evenly distribute the sauerkraut on top of the peppers, then sprinkle the bacon pieces over the top.

Lay the pork roast on top, in the opposite direction of the leaves (the same way the pepper strips are pointing) and gently wrap the roast in the leaves, making sure the peppers and sauerkraut stay in place.

Tie up the wrapped pork roast with kitchen twine.

Heat up the pan with the bacon grease, oil and pork roast drippings. Add the wrapped pork roast and cook on all sides, making sure the outside gets coated evening with the pan drippings. 

Add the pale lager to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Remove the wrapped pork roast from the pan and set on a plate. Cover with aluminum foil and store in a warm place.

Whisk in the heavy cream to the beer sauce in the skillet. Whisk constantly until the sauce thickens a bit. Whisk in the lemon zest. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Remove the finished wrapped pork filet from its warm place. Uncover the roast and place the wrapped filet on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut the filet into slices about 1 inch thick. Pour some of the creamy beer sauce onto a serving platter that has some depth. Transfer the wrapped pork filet slices onto the platter. Pour the rest of the sauce into a small pitcher and serve it on the side. 

Serve immediately.