strawberries in paris

Dinner Inspired by Real Simple

Well this was Round 1 of this meal and two out of the three things were better on this night than on Round 2 night, but one thing stood out- Real Simple’s simple way of cooking a pork tenderloin wrapped in prosciutto is too simple and kinda tasteless! They paired the tenderloin with roasted sweet potatoes and pears tossed with lots of fresh thyme and the side was the winner! When Ned saw how simple this recipe was he decided to make up a sauce with lots of dijon mustard, onions, garlic, thyme and some cream. It really helped with the flavor of the pork. And gosh- I love my creative chef!

My palate would be so bored without it!  Round 2 included a pan searing of the pork tenderloin followed by oven time and that was a much improved method to make the pig. My attempts to roast the remaining sweet potatoes and Ned’s second try to make that sauce again just didn’t match up to Round 1. It’s fun trying to improve or repeat dishes, really gets those chemistry and creative juices flowing… Go check out the simple recipes!

I loved the roasted pears and sweet potatoes with tons of fresh thyme. I never thought to roast pears so this was a perfect idea to add to my roasting repertoire.

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut lengthwise into wedges

2 firm red Bartlett pears, cut into wedges

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 sprigs fresh thyme

kosher salt and black pepper

1 piece pork tenderloin (1 1/4 pounds)

1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto

1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425º F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes, pears, oil, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, wrap the pork in the prosciutto, slightly overlapping the slices to cover the pork completely.

3. Push the vegetables to the edges of the baking sheet, place the pork in the center, and drizzle the pork with the honey. Roast until the pork is cooked through and the sweet potatoes and pears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the pork rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with the sweet potatoes and pears.

If you choose to make this, saute the wrapped tenderloin on a pan for a couple of minutes on each side to get it nice and crisp, then stick it in the oven for like 15 minutes!

For his mustard sauce, saute some onions (1/4 cup) and garlic (2 cloves) in olive oil. Then add ~3 tbsp of dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of water and more thyme leaves. Let the sauce evaporate to half the volume over medium heat and then add 1 tbsp of cream. Season with salt and pepper and serve!