Spring is almost here and I just can’t wait. In giddy anticipation here’s another one pot meal that is low prep, fast and…
..dare I say it?!? Healthy.
We used a very lean cut of pork, moved your mashed potatoes up a notch – to secretly deliver an under-appreciated vegetable- and piled on antioxidant rich fresh herbs. We topped it all with edible flowers – and they do more than pretty up the place.
Pre-Spring pickings for fresh, much less edible, flowers are slim but not impossible. I foraged the flowers for this recipe locally -in my slippers. Alyssum in the front yard and the back yard weed patch yielded dandelions (follow the links to find out about each flower’s amazing nutritional content).
Pressure Cooker | Accessories | Pr. Cook Time | Pr. Level | Open |
---|---|---|---|---|
6 L or larger | heat-proof bowl | 25 min. | High(2) | Natural |

- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly diced
- 1 medium cauliflower head, separated into large florets
- 2-3 pound pork loin roast
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
- 2 sprigs fresh mint
- about ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1 bouquet untreated edible flowers (I used alyssum and dandelions)
- Put the potato and cauliflower pieces in the heat proof bowl and set aside.
- Tie one sprig of each herb to the roast and paint the roast with mustard.
- In the pre-heated pressure cooker, on medium heat without the lid, add the oil and brown the roast on all sides.
- Pour in the water, salt and pepper and lower the bowl into the pressure cooker on top of the roast. If the bowl does not balance well, add a crumbled ball of tin foil in the base to help hold it somewhat straight.
- Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker.
- Electric pressure cookers: Cook for 30 minutes at high pressure.
Stovetop pressure cookers: Turn the heat up to high and when the cooker indicates it has reached high pressure, lower to the heat to maintain it and begin counting 25 minutes pressure cooking time. - When time is up, open the pressure cooker with the Natural release method - move the cooker off the burner and wait for the pressure to come down on its own (about 10 minutes). For electric pressure cookers, disengage the “keep warm” mode or unplug the cooker and begin counting 10 minutes of natural open time. Then, release the rest of the pressure using the valve.
- Lift out the bowl and wipe the base and sides. Then, add the yogurt and mash the contents.
- Lift out the roast and slice thinly and lay on the platter. Then, wet the slices with the cooking liquid and sprinkle with the remaining fresh herbs and edible flowers.
- Store any left-over meat in the cooking liquid.





If I don’t have a separate heat-proof pan that will fit can I just fashion a tinfoil bowl?
Try it! Don’t know if an aluminum bowl would “sag” around the roast and spill out the vegetables, though.
Maybe an aluminum pie plate?
Ciao,
L
Laura, I follow your advice and recipes throughout the Internet. My plan is to combine several appliances into the Instant Pot DUO60.
I see that the roast is pork. Though I love pork, I am not allowed to eat it anymore because of vascular problems. Can this recipe be somehow made with chicken breast?
Thanks, John
John, welecome! Why not make Turkey Roast (http://www.hippressurecooking.com/easy-stuffing-stuffed-turkey-breast-roast/) and the add the potato and then add the potato cauliflower mash on top?
Ciao,
L
Hi Laura I am new to pressure cooking and purchased an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. I am making this recipe but not sure i understand the directions in step 5 that say “Turn the heat up to high and when the cooker reaches pressure, lower to the heat to the minimum required by the cooker to maintain pressure.” So after browning the meat and adding the veggies I selected the meat setting and set the time to 25 minutes. I hope that was correct….waiting for it to finish. Thanks Kim
Welcome! Those directions are for stovetop pressure cookers – you can just punch-in the cooking time- your Instant Pot will do all of this tinkering with the heat automatically.
Ciao,
L
P.S. I have updated the instructions on this recipe to give separate instructions for electric and stovetop pressure cookers.
Thank you. I cooked on high for 25 minutes and let cool down naturally for 10. However the roast was very dry and the potatoes were watery. Not sure what I did wrong.
Hi Laura,
I’m a noob and wanted to be sure on the water amount. It seems anything I’ve done so far (not so much really) needed at least a total of 2 cups liquid. Is only 3/4 cup water correct for this? It sounds really good, although I will leave out the weeds. We are just stepping into winter here. ;>(
It depends on your pressure cooker. Whatever Laura (or anyone else!) says ALWAYS add the minimum liquid for YOUR pressure cooker. If it is an electric, the minimum liquid will almost certainly be 1.5 cups (375ml) If it is a stove top, it could be as low as 50ml (3 tablespoons) or as much as 2 cups. It all depends on how efficiently the PC traps the steam. And to a lesser extent on how long you are cooking.
Check your PC manual for the minimum for your particular PC. If you have lost the manual (tsk tsk :)) Laura will probably have an electronic copy on her manuals page.
A very few recipes can fudge the liquid requirement a little, but this does not look like one of them. Laura will chime in if I am wrong. As a Newbie though, stick to the minimum stated.
Awesome!
Laura, thank you so much for this recipe. I have to say that it was a great success. We got an instant pot for Christmas and since my wife had bunion surgery & is on no weight bearing for 3 months, all the meals fall to me. Never would have thought of putting a heat proof bowl on TOP of the roast and cooking your side dish at the same time. It truly is a “ONE-POT” cooking!
I just used dry herbs and regular mustard & cream cheese instead of yogurt. The water amount ( 3/4 cup) is EXACTLY right