Crown roast of pork is a glorious cut of meat, lean and firm. It’s made by shaping a bone-in pork loin into a circlet with the ribs pointed up. The center can then be filled with stuffing that becomes delectably flavored by the meat’s juices as the roast cooks.
You can shape the crown yourself by cutting into the spaces between the ribs to allow the loin to bend, but it’s much easier to ask your butcher to shape and tie the crown for you. You’ll need a minimum of a 12-rib roast to shape the circlet, but for a crowd you can have two racks attached end-to-end.
Two ribs per person will feed everyone generously. Fill the center of the crown with your favorite stuffing, and cook additional stuffing by baking in a separate dish or packing it around the base of the roast. The roast should be properly presented intact so it can be admired, then sliced into chops, each serving topped with stuffing and drizzled with savory sauce made from deglazing the juices from the roasting pan. A festive and sumptuous dish—fit for royalty, indeed. 
First published February 2015
