Last night I prepared a roasted pork tenderloin. I had never cooked an entire pork tenderloin before, so I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with the one I had purchased over the weekend at Kroger. I decided to first look around online for ideas, but nothing really sounded like anything for a beginner. There was one recipe that involved mushrooms and blue cheese, but any recipe that involves a meat tenderizer and butcher's twine is definitely more involved than I care to attempt after being at work all day.
I finally came across one that suggested using Dijon mustard as a sauce for the roasted pork. This still wasn't exactly what I had in mind. While I'm a huge fan of Grey Poupon's advertising campaign from the '80's, I really don't care for their mustard. So...... I decided to use the horseradish mustard from Kroger that I love.
I think that dinner turned out pretty well for a first attempt. If you care to give it a try, here's what you'll need:
Pork Tenderloin
Horseradish Mustard (amounts on all of these vary depending on size of tenderloin)
Oregano
Basil
Rosemary
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. (side note: I wish I knew what keys would make the little degree symbol on my keyboard! Anyone know?!?)
2) Wash pork and pat dry.
3) Place on roasting pan. I used a silicone glazed pan that is naturally nonstick, but would suggest using nonstick cooking spray if you don't have one. This didn't produce a lot of juices, but I did end up with some baked onto the pan at the end.
4) Brush pork on all sides with mustard. I did not use as much as I probably should have, as some areas were not nearly as flavorful as others. I suggest being very liberal during this step.
5) Dust the top and sides with the oregano, basil and just a bit of rosemary, and finish with cracked black pepper.
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| About to go into the oven |
6) Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees, and bake pork until internal temperature at thickest part reads 145 degrees.
7) Let stand for five minutes before serving.
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| Finished Product |
That's it. I think I baked ours for about half an hour. Mk and I had leftovers today for lunch, and it was still very tender and full of flavor after being reheated in the microwave.
Oh yeah, the inside should be slightly pink when fully done. Don't worry, it's ok. The FDA says son. Don't believe me? Check this out: usda-on-pork-other-white-meat-can-be-a-little-pink
