I love to prepare a pork tenderloin for dinner in the fall and winter. I have to admit that it’s one of those intimidating cuts of meat. I feel like I need to be serving ale out of a pewter chalice when I slap one of these bad boys into the oven…they’re just that robust. I have tried several pork tenderloin recipes and this is one of my favorites.

A few side notes about the preparation, I didn’t have fresh thyme or fresh basil  so I used dried herbs. I know that if I’d used fresh herbs it would have been fantastic, but I didn’t have time to run out to the store. This dish was still incredibly tasty and we had TONS of leftovers. The potatoes were scrape your plate delicious and filled our house with a wonderful aroma. I’d like to prepare them that way in the future as a side dish with another main course.

My husband LOVED this dish. He does quite a bit of cooking and so he’s thrilled with my new attempts to be domestically adventurous in the kitchen. As for me, no I’m not ill, I’ve just come to the realization that I’m 40 years old and need to be able to cook more than spaghetti, lasagna, and a frozen pizza.

Enjoy!

Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Horseradish-Roasted New Potatoes

Ingredients

2  pounds new potatoes (I used scrub em down dirt still hangin’ on them country taters from Cheatham County, Tennessee…my husband’s dad’s cousin has a farm and we’re fortunate to get fresh veggies from him throughout the summer and early fall)
1/4  cup  butter or margarine, melted (Use REAL butter here folks…makes a difference! Who needs clear arteries this time of year?)
2  tablespoons  prepared horseradish
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground pepper
1/2  cup  fine, dry breadcrumbs
1/3  cup  chopped fresh basil
3  tablespoons  olive oil
1  tablespoon  freshly ground pepper
1  teaspoon  kosher salt
3  tablespoons  chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2  pounds  pork tenderloins
2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley
Garnish: fresh herb sprigs (I didn’t have any fresh herb sprigs but it didn’t detract from the taste)

Preparation

Peel a 1-inch strip around center of each potato. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add butter and next 3 ingredients, tossing gently. Place potatoes on a lightly greased rack in a broiler pan.

Bake at 425° for 20 minutes; remove from oven.

Stir together breadcrumbs and next 5 ingredients. Moisten tenderloins with water; press crumb mixture over tenderloins, and place on rack with potatoes.

Bake at 425° for 25 more minutes or until potatoes are tender and a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of tenderloins registers 160°. Sprinkle potatoes with parsley, and slice tenderloins. Garnish, if desired.

From the July 1998 issue of Southern Living

For more tonguegasmic goodness, visit my fine Texas friend Rachel at A Southern Fairytale.