Slow Cooked Pork & Sweet Potato Stew

This stew has all the flavors of fall and is perfect on a chilly winter evening. 

3 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 lbs. lean pork tenderloin cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 c.  white wine*
12 oz. sweet potatoes or yams peeled and cut into 1 1/2 in. cubes
1/2 c. chicken stock
2 T. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 T. of the oil in a large frying pan and saute the onions until they begin to turn brown.  Transfer to your slow cooker.  Add remaining oil to pan and brown the pork over high heat in 2-3 batches, adding more oil if necessary.  Transfer to slow cooker.  Deglaze the pan with the wine, stirring to dislodge any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Pour the wine over the pork.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Cook on low 7-9 hours.  Serve over a bed of rice or pasta.

*Note: Often I'll replace wine with chicken broth in recipes, but you don't want to skimp on the wine here. If you aren't a wine drinker you can get a bottle of inexpensive white wine for less than $10 and keep it in the back of your fridge. Then you'll always have it on hand for recipes. I don't recommend the "cooking wine" that you sometimes see in the store.  It tends to be salty and bitter.  I used a sweet wine because it's what I had on hand, but it doesn't really matter. Use what you've got!