Remember that time we made Schnitzel, and I told you to toss the other pork tenderloin from the bag in the freezer? Yeah, I just found it last weekend. I’m cleaning out the freezer to make room for meals for baby time, and I’m putting to use all the frozen meat I found! I have the worst habit of buying the big pack of chicken breasts when I really just need two. I wrap and freeze the leftovers for future meals, which is great, except I forget that it’s in there and buy another large pack of chicken breasts. Repeat three times. Those of you requesting chicken dinners for two, your wish will come true! Pork tenderloin is one of those things my Mom makes for company quite frequently. She wraps it in bacon and fresh thyme and bakes it to perfection. Everyone loves it plain, or on a sandwich leftover the next day. I knew it was time to put a pork tenderloin recipe in my arsenal for company. I have lots of company and guests planned over the next few months, and I plan on making them scaled-up versions of my Dinners for Two. In order for a dinner recipe to be in my life, it must: -use minimal pots and pans -be easy -have easy clean-up (bonus points for foil-lined pans!) -be quick After baking all day, these are really the only kind of dinners for which I have the time.
This one-pound tenderloin serves two quite generously, maybe even three people. I’m not a huge meat-eater (but gimme all the crispy veggies), so in your house, it may only serve two. The recipe below is for one tenderloin, but you can easily scale it up and put as many tenderloins on the sheet pan that will fit. We haven’t even talked about my favorite part: crispy veggies. I feel like it makes me a boring person to admit that cauliflower is my favorite vegetable, but it’s true. I credit my addiction to Indian food for my love of cauliflower. I always have a head in the fridge during the winter. Heads up: buy the whole head instead of the already-cut florets so that it will last up to 2 weeks in your fridge. Or not—buy pre-chopped florets the day you want to make this and save yourself the mess! The vegetables roast right on the same pan as the pork (but come out after 15 minutes). It’s perfect because you need to check the temperature of the pork at 15 minutes anyway. I always cook meat in the oven using a thermometer—it’s the best way to be 100% of your results. RECAP: tangy, moist honey-mustard pork with roasted cauliflower and crispy kale bits showered in Parmesan cheese. Is it a yes? I think so.
