In a blender, puree thyme, sage, garlic, and oil until smooth. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Rub mixture over the pork roast, making sure to cover areas between the chops.

Place over a bed of veggies and herbs in a roasting pan. Cover the tips of the rib bones with foil. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before roasting.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set rack on the bottom third of the oven so the roast will fit completely inside.

Place the whole roast in the oven and bake for 1/2 hour at 375 degrees F. Decrease the temperature to 325 degrees F and continue to roast for 1 hour

Remove roast from the oven and fill the cavity with the stuffing. (If any stuffing is leftover, place in a lightly grease baking dish).

Roast the stuffed pork until it reaches and internal temperature of 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer. About 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

*** If using sauerkraut instead of stuffing, fill the cavity with sauerkraut halfway through roasting.

Remove from the oven, loosely cover with foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes before cutting.

For the stuffing:

Heat a large saute pan or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.

Add the onions, celery, garlic and cayenne to the fat remaining in the pan and cook, stirring until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the walnuts and cook, stirring until lightly toasted and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the apples and rice and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the stock, water, bay leaf, salt, pepper, sage and thyme and bring to a boil. Stir well, reduce the heat and cook undisturbed at a bare simmer until the rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 50 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let stand undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Discard the bay leaf and fluff the rice with a fork. Add the cooked sausage.