Do you ever have that feeling like your hands are in control? It’s the craziest feeling – they have to be doing something. I often say in these instances that “my hands are bored.” There is nothing like cooler days and a tinge of color on the leaves outside my window to inspire creativity. My bored hands are at the ready to do some busy work. So, I give them something to do.
Flavors of fall are especially important to me – freshly harvested apples, root vegetables like parsnip, carrot, sweet potato and Brussels sprouts all lend themselves to a heartier, cool-weather plate. At the center of this plate is perfectly roasted pork tenderloin. Yes, perfect. I know I said in my post last Wednesday that
perfection was unattainable but perfected is possible. Well, perfection may be found in pork tenderloin.
Let’s build our plate and then I will give you the super secret, super easy recipe:
Imagine if you will a beautiful 10 inch dinner plate with elegant branches from a wintering dogwood filled with red berries stretching from corner to corner. In the center of the plate is a simple sweet potato mash made with a drizzle of honey, salt and pepper. In the seven o’clock corner there is a luscious mound of sautéed spinach with slivers of shaved garlic. In the one o’clock corner there is a nice showing of roasted root vegetables – carrots and parsnips – roasted in olive oil and rosemary. In the 11 o’clock corner, half of a Granny Smith apple and sharp provolone cheese are cubed and tossed together. Sound good so far? Now, we need our focal point.
Roasted Pork Tenderloin
- 1 split baby tenderloin, fat trimmed
- Emeril’s Original Essence
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Simple. Simple. Simple.
Method:
Place the tenderloins in a gallon Ziploc bag. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat (a couple of tablespoons) then pour, not sprinkle, Emeril’s Original Essence into the bag atop the tenderloins. Zip the bag then squish the tenderloins around in the bag until they are nice and orange all over. It’s the spices, I promise. Heat a nonstick sauté pan, should you have one available, on medium-high to high heat. Sear the tenderloins on all four sides, each side will be a nice crisp brown - not black. Turn the tenderloins onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. Take the meat out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
This is the simplest pork tenderloin ever. I perfected the method while building a home in Juliette, Georgia. Every weekend we would commit to work through so I would pack the cooler with things that were easy to prepare with very few ingredients. This tenderloin, some cheddar cheese, Texas Pete, and flour tortillas made for a great lunch straight from the grill.
Fall conjures up so many flavors for me. I suggest you start your day with pecan pancakes and maple syrup. Have an enjoyable light lunch that might be a twist on Waldorf salad and whole grain toast or crackers. Finish your day with the ultimate fall dinner (above). No autumn weekend is complete without it.
Life, and menu ideas, in Penned Perspective by Lindy Chaffin Start
Posts
