On those days that you want a satisfying meal that will warm your soul, this one surely fits the bill. It combines several ingredients that play very well together. A lean pork tenderloin takes center stage spiked with apple slices with a velvety apple jus on top. Served alongside is a robust cabbage dish enhanced with the flavor of bacon. So on our menu for today we have: Hasselback Apple Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Cabbage & Bacon!
The pork dish can be done either in the oven or the slow cooker. It is not a long process either way, as there is very little fat in this cut of meat which can make it dry out quickly if overcooked. The best approach is to check the temperature during cooking to ensure that you keep it nice and moist. I cut my vegetables into smaller chunks so that they can also cook quickly for proper timing. Mine finished together perfectly with tender crisp vegetables just the way I like them. However, in the event that your pork is done before your vegetables, just pull it from the pot to a platter and keep warm. Then finish cooking your vegetables on their own.
You should have enough pan juices for your gravy, but I am a gravy hog so I like to have extra! To do this, I just add a bit more apple juice to the pan juices and thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. You can also substitute by adding broth or water or a combination of any of them.
To add more vegetables to the dish, I throw in some carrots and potatoes with the pork. This is also an area you can vary by adding other options. Any root vegetables will work, such as parsnips, fennel, sweet potatoes, etc. You can even throw in chunks of squash! Just make sure you size the veggies small enough to cook in the same amount of time as the pork.
Hasselback Apple Pork Tenderloin
Serves 8
- 1 package pork tenderloins containing 2 tenderloins
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons salad oil
- 1 apple, cored and cut into 12 thin wedges
- 1 1/2 cups apple juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4-6 medium carrots , cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups tri-colored baby potatoes, cut in halves or thirds depending on size (can use red or yukon potatoes)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water, if needed to thicken gravy
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Make 6 vertical slits into each tenderloin on one side, to hold apple slices. On waxed paper, coat pork tenderloins with flour; reserve additional flour. In 8-quart dutch oven with oven-safe handles over medium-high heat, in hot oil, cook pork, until browned on all sides. Remove to a plate. Place apple slices into slits.
- Reduce heat to medium; into dripping’s in dutch oven, stir reserved flour until blended. Gradually stir in apple juice. Return pork to dutch oven; add salt and pepper; heat to boiling.
- Cover dutch oven and bake in 350° oven 30 minutes. Add carrots and potatoes; cover; bake 30 minutes or until pork and vegetables are tender.
- If you want to thicken gravy, pour it off into a saucepan and boil it down. If it needs to thicken more, add a cornstarch/water mixture and whisk in enough to reach the desired thickness.
- Follow steps 2 & 3. If you are using a multi cooker, use the browning function to brown the meat and heat the apple juice. If you are using a crockpot, brown the meat and heat the juice on the stove in a dutch oven and then transfer the contents to your crockpot.
- Add the carrots and potatoes around the meat in the slow cooker. Then set it to slow cook for 3 1/2 hours. Cover and cook for 3 hours. Check the temperature of the meat (it should be 145-160°) and the tenderness of the vegetables. Cook an additional 1/2 hour if needed. Be careful as pork tenderloins are very lean and will dry out quickly if overcooked. (Mine took 3 1/2 hours to prepare with tender crisp cooked vegetables)
(click here) for printable recipe
Roasted Cabbage & Bacon
Serves 4 (can easily be doubled)
- 1/2 head Napa cabbage, outer leaves removed
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 slices thick bacon
- Heat the oven to 450°F. Cut the 1/2 cabbage into quarters and slice the bottom of each quarter at an angle to partially remove the stem core. Lay these down on a large roasting pan or baking sheet and drizzle very lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
- Cut each slice of bacon into 3 strips and lay on top of the cabbage.
- Roast for 30 minutes, flipping the cabbage wedges once halfway through. If the edges aren’t browned enough for your taste after 30 minutes, put them back in for five-minute increments until they are.
- Serve immediately; the wedges cool down fast.
- Make sure to only partially cut the stem core off. It will keep the wedges together.
- I cooked mine directly on the cookie sheet to get all of the bacon flavor infused into the cabbage.
(click here) for printable recipe