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 |
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.)
+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.
Keep in mind I cook at altitude. If you're closer to sea level, you might have dinner sooner.
- 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! |
Alyce
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