Cooking Pork Tenderloin

By Valarie

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with pepper and salt. Add to the pan and brown on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes.




2

Transfer the pan to the oven; bake until the pork has just a hint of pink in the center and an instant-read thermometer registers 155 degrees F, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. (The internal temperature will increase to 160 degrees during resting.) To serve, cut the pork into thin slices.






Baked sweet potatoes, rice pilaf and sesame noodles are complementary sides that go very well with roasted pork tenderloin. Simple, steamed vegetables with a spritz of lemon and a dab of butter are really all you need to complete a meal that will wow family and friends without being high in calories (only 158 calories per serving of pork).

If you want a sweet side dish to go with your tenderloin, try sauteing peeled and cored apple slices in butter, or dusting peaches with brown sugar and broiling them for a few minutes.

To add a bit of heat to your pork tenderloin, consider mixing some prepared horseradish with sour cream to taste. Spoon this "rocket" sauce down the center of your tenderloin slices.

The fun part about this recipe is that once you've mastered how to cook pork tenderloin that's juicy and tender, you can experiment with sauces, salsas and chutneys to add color and zip to your perfectly prepared medallions of pork. Or you can simply drizzle a thin ribbon of real maple syrup, balsamic vinegar or teriyaki sauce over the pork slices for the slightest hint of sweetness and to enhance presentation.