sweet and spicy pork tenderloin

medallions of pork and sweet potato make an easy entree

I bought a cast iron pan on the weekend and I was so excited to use it - I've never had a pan that was both stove-top and oven safe.  It's so nice to brown something then directly transfer it into the oven!  You don't have to dirty two separate pans and it makes the sauce much easier to make.  Last night we had pork tenderloin with sweet potato medallions and it was delicious. Planning ahead and marinating the pork the day before will allow the flavours to intensify even more.

what you need:
*serves 4

• 1 lb pork tenderloin (usually comes in two strips)
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1/3 cup naturally brewed soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 3 tsp sugar
• 5 garlic cloves
• 2 large red thai chilies
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp chinese five spice
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup hot water

what to do:

1. Trim fat off pork tenderloin.  Rinse with cold water and pat dry.  
2. Smash garlic and then roughly chop.  Roughly chop the red thai chilies.
3. In a large tupperware or large freezer bag, combine sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, chilies, and freshly ground black pepper.  Mix well, then add the pork tenderloin and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, overnight if possible.
4. Preheat oven to 400 F.
5. Thoroughly wash sweet potato (since you're not peeling off the skin) and then cut into medallions, ~ 1/2" thick.  Toss lightly with the olive oil, then season lightly with salt, pepper, and the chinese five spice.
6. Place sweet potato on a baking dish, don't overlap them.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes.
7. In a large cast iron pan, heat up canola oil on medium-high heat.  Remove pork from marinade and pat dry to avoid splashing when you sear the meat.  Gently place tenderloin onto pan.  Sear meat on all sides, about 1-2 minutes per side, until browned.  Turn heat down to medium and then add the marinade back into the pan, deglazing it.
8. Turn oven down to 375 F.  Remove the sweet potato from it's pan and nestle them beside the pork, into the marinade.  Bake uncovered together in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes (use a meat thermometer to be sure the meat is cooked to the done-ness you want).
9. Check the pan in 15 minutes - if it seems dry add a little bit of hot water (1/4 cup at a time) to keep it moist and saucy.
10. Remove pan from oven and lightly tent with aluminum foil to allow meat to rest, at least 10 - 15 minutes.
11. Cut tenderloin into medallions, about the same size as your sweet potato.  Plate them up, drizzle pan sauce over top and enjoy!

all the brown bits and liquid at the bottom = delicious gravy

have fun with plating - you can stack the medallions,
layer them, whatever looks appetizing!