One-Pan Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary Vegetables

I'm not always in a hurry cooking.  Often I take my own sweet time and dust be damned.  Lately, with more boxes and mess than I want to own up to (after 16 days in the house), I'm still just throwing meals together in hopes that anything for which I heat the stove up will last a couple of days.  Because the larder is not up-to-snuff, I end up running to the grocery over and over; I'm wasting time on this stuff.  Bad words.

The kitchen is functioning though I have cabin knives and only four drinking glasses. #badlylabeledmovingboxes

The other day I just went and bought everything at once for a one-pan meal that sounded perfect. There was no way I was getting home and finding I didn't have everything and that was the case.  I grabbed a package of two pork tenderloins (fast cooking), some red potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and prayed I had dried rosemary.  My fresh rosemary plant is mostly likely dead outside the Saint Paul house back door and I won't be growing any new herbs here for a few months unless I try the south window approach where my son has placed a big bucket of sage thinking ahead to Thanksgiving.

Dining Room:  What are wardrobe boxes doing in there?  Huh.

To put a point on it:  I cooked, we ate, and we ate leftovers. I served this meal with my lemon green beans. (Recipe way below.)  There's nothing like a piece of meat roasted with potatoes, carrots, and onions to spell comfort food. Add rosemary (for remembrance) and a bottle of  Côtes du Rhône and you're all set.

Caution:  Iphone photo below.

Living Room beginning to come together.  I had to clean it yesterday...and the boxes aren't even unpacked!

one-pan pork tenderloin with rosemary vegetables    6 servings

• 3 tablespoons olive oil or  more as needed
• Crushed red pepper
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 6 small red potatoes, quartered
• 6 large carrots, well cleaned, and sliced 1/2-inch thick (don't peel)
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Dried Rosemary (rub between fingers or in hands to break up and release oils)
• 2 pork tenderloins (about a pound each), seasoned liberally with salt, pepper, and crushed dried rosemary

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place rack in the middle.

2.  In a large, deep, oven-safe skillet or sauté pan, heat oil over medium high heat with a pinch of crushed red pepper and a few grinds of black pepper.  Add potatoes, carrots, and onions.  Season vegetables with 1/2 -teaspoon salt,  1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary.  Cook, stirring regularly, for 5-10 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add the garlic for last minute or so.

3.  Push vegetables to the sides of the pan and add the well-seasoned pork tenderloin, adding a little more oil, if necessary.  Cook 3-4 minutes or until well-browned; turn and brown on other side.

4.  Cover and place pan in the oven.+  Roast 20 minutes or so until pork is 145 degrees Fahrenheit* on an instant read thermometer.  Remove pork to a warm platter and cover with foil to rest for 5 minutes or so.  The pork will reach 150 degrees while resting.  It should be somewhat pink.  (Cook longer if you'd like your pork well-done; I don't recommend it, though.)  Slice pork and surround with vegetables.  Serve hot.

This is my stainless steel Cuisinart sauté pan

Cook's Notes:  

1. If the vegetables aren't quite tender when the pork is done, put them back on the burner over medium heat and cook a few minutes longer, stirring regularly.

2.  Want a quick sauce for the meat?  Stir together 1 part Dijon-style mustard to 3 parts plain Greek yogurt and season with salt, pepper, and a drop or two of hot sauce.

3.   Any root vegetables could be subbed for the carrots and potatoes; you might need to adjust cooking time for parsnips or turnips.

+I needed this done quickly, so covered the pan.  You might try it uncovered, though it would take a bit longer.

Wine:  Côtes du Rhône red (a French blend of Syrah,  Mouvedre, Grenache, etc.)

*Current FDA recommendations for meat temperatures are available here as a PDF that you can print and keep in your kitchen.

Keep in mind I cook at altitude.  If you're closer to sea level, you might have dinner sooner.

* My Lemon Green Beans

• 1/2-pound steamed fresh green beans or haritcots verts (very thin beans)*
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Grated rind of one lemon
• Pinch crushed red pepper

In a medium bowl, toss together well-drained beans with oil.  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Toss well with lemon rind and crushed red pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.

*The tiny green beans cook in 2-3 minutes covered in the microwave.

Tuck in the window while I blog.

Morning  sunrise off the deck can't be captured by my photos!

 Sing a new song; don't  move,
Alyce