I admit it. I’ve been slacking on the dinner meals.
It’s just so much easier to make a quick baked good or salad nowadays. Then I’ve felt like I’ve cooked, so I can slack for the rest of the week.
Well, that stops this week. I’m going back to at least one dinner a week.
Promise. (Or at least I will try my very, very best.)
So I saw these recipes several weeks ago, and they completely caught my eye. I’m usually not a pork person, but it looked so delectable at Sweet Caroline’s Cooking that I had to give it a try.
And bonus! It had built-in yummy side-dishes, too (though I only used one.)
The Recipes:
Adobo-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, adapted from Sweet Caroline’s recipe
2 T smoked paprika
1 T sweet paprika
1 T black pepper
1 T salt
1 T chili powder
2 T brown sugar
16 oz. pork tenderloin
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Trim silver off tenderloin. In a small bowl, mix paprikas, black pepper, salt, chili powder and brown sugar.
Thoroughly rub both sides of pork tenderloin with dry rub. Preheat skillet or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat and pan-sear pieces until golden brown on both sides. Transfer tenderloin piece to rack on cookie sheet and place in oven. Cook until done, about 6 to 8 minutes for each inch of thickness–about 25-30 minutes total.
Glazed Carrots, from Sweet Caroline’s recipe
5-6 carrots, stems removed
3 T butter or margarine
Salt and pepper, to taste
Wash carrots to remove dirt. Cut off tips of the carrots. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and season with salt and pepper. Toss with tongs until evenly coated and sizzling, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low and cook until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.
The Results:
Okay, I have to give my husband credit this week. He saved me from a couple near-catastrophes while I was making the pork.
First off, I had no clue what “silver” was. Or how to remove it.
(I don’t think I’ve mentioned this, but this meal was my first ever attempt to cook pork – hot dogs don’t count, right?)
Anyways, he gave a quick tutorial on what silver looks like and how to thread your knife under it to skim it off. (Knife facing away from your body – always a good tip!) He might have tried to take over and just do it for me, but I held strong and did it myself.
And then I kinda forgot something that should be ingrained in me…oil in my skillet. My pork immediately started smoking because the spices were burning. I froze for a moment, but Hubs calmly suggested removing the pork, adding oil, and putting it back on the stove. That helped me re-focus and start again.
The pork needed to be cooked a little longer than the suggested time, and Hubs recommended letting it “rest” for about 5 minutes before serving.
It was quite divine when finished – the crust was amazing and the inside was still moist and flavorful.
As for the carrots, they were simple and easy – and oh, so tasty! How did I not know of this 3 ingredient decadence?
Next time for sure.
I’m so, so glad it turned out well, Courtney!! Yours looks delicious. I’m sorry about the oil in the skillet incident, that is completely my bad, as I forgot to add that part to the directions! I’m going to go fix that right now so no one else has that issue. 🙂 Let me know if you decide to give the potatoes a try. They’re super simple and tasty! xx
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No worries, Caroline. I’m sure any other cook would’ve known better. 😉
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It does look really delicious and your husband is a cutie! he keeps saving the day!
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I’m proud of you for sticking with it and not letting him take over. It looks delicious! And you know what, you’ll never forget oil in the pan again I bet.
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Pork can be a scary item to take on no matter what your kitchen rank; you did a wonderful job turning this out!
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Isn’t it nice when you have a husband who can rescue in the kitchen? Mine has on more occasions than I care to admit. Love both of the paprikas on the pork. Must have tasted divine.
Sam
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That looks fabulous. I can’t wait to give it a try! I’m always looking for a new way to serve pork.
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