Roasted pork loin with a garlic, rosemary and walnut crust

Ingredients

4 heads garlic, halved crosswise
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 boneless pork loin, about 3 1/2 lb.
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 cup shelled walnuts
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3 tbsp. Italian parsley leaves
Leaves from 6 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 tbsp. dried rosemary 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place garlic in a small baking pan, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, cover with foil and roast until soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Can be done ahead of time. When cool, separate cloves and squeeze out garlic puree. Set aside.

Season pork loin with salt and pepper, place on a rack in a roasting pan and roast to an internal temperature of 140 degrees, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let stand for 15 minutes.

Place walnuts in a baking pan and roast in the hot oven until lightly toasted, about 7 minutes. Let cool, then place nuts, breadcrumbs and herbs in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Reserve.

Smear one side of the pork loin with roasted garlic and cover with walnut-breadcrumb mixture. Place in hot oven until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 20 minutes. Carve into 1/2-inch-thick slices and place on a serving platter.

Serves 6 to 8