Pork Tenderloin and Taters... (ok, veggies too)

Dad's comin for dinner tonight, and he is one of my favourite people to feed :)
He eats it and tells me it is good even when it isn't, but when it is he really goo's about it, which makes me happy.


You will need

• 2lb pork tenderloin (they come in vac-packs of 2 where i buy them, and they're about a pound apeice)


• 1 medium potato per person (tonight that's 3 plus the kid)


• 1.5 lbs of veggies, like broccoli- approx 1 cup per person


• Olive oil


• Coarse pepper


• Coarse salt


• Balsamic Vinegar


• 1 med onion


• AT LEAST 3 cloves of garlic (I will use more, and still hold back so my hubby will eat it...)


• Flour/corn starch


• boullion cubes (beef is nicer for this) OR use packaged gravy mix. WHATEVER YOU LIKE, roast gravy, mushroom gravy, Au Jus... your fave is fine


• More pepper


• Soy Sauce


• Worcestershire


• 3 cups water

Start by peeling and cutting your potatos. They will actually take longer than the meat in this case! Get them rinsed and in a pot just covering them with salted water.

Trim your tenderloins- you will need a sharp knife- ideally you will be trimming away the whitish bands of tough tendon you can see along one side, without hacking the rest to bits. This takes practice, but fear not, it will still taste wonderful NO MATTER what it looks like.

Start the potatoes.

Dice the garlic and half the onion, add to roasting pan with 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp coarse pepper, 1/2 tsp salt. Mix together and put tenderloins in, turning to coat with seasonings and RUB IT IN. Leave to sit for 10 minutes or so, at least until the oven is preheated to 425 degrees.

start the vegetables.

Cook covered for first 10 minutes, then remove lid from roaster. Total cook time should be about 30 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 160 degrees. When done, remove from roaster to platter, and put the roaster on the stovetop at medium heat. Pour in your water, boullion, tbsp soy sauce, tbsp worcestershire. When it's boiling, in another cup stir together 3 tbsp flour (or cornstarch) with COLD water. Add slowly while stirring to boiling pan. If you get lumps, don't panic- you can pour the works thru a strainer (thanks Mom, you're my hero).

Get the gravy good and thick, and if you used flour make sure the "floury" taste is cooked out... if you used cornstarch, don't cook it too long, it makes a gel-ly texture if it goes too long.

Mash potatos with butter, milk and a blob of sour cream... drain and season the veggies... slice tenderloin on a diagonal to maximize texture... serve with gravy-mmmmmmm....

This is quick, simple and neat thing to "whip up" when the in-laws are coming. It is also fairly inexpensive, low in fat and modifiable to what else you have in the cupboards.

As you can see, Dad enjoyed!