Guest Author - Jill Valente

The temperature here in the Northeast has been in the 70’s all week meaning that it is finally cool enough for me to turn on my oven. So long summer, hello fall! Roasting is a great cooking technique as it doesn’t require much monitoring and pork tenderloin works well in the oven although you can grill it whole or slice it into medallions and sauté it.

Along with my Roasted Chicken Meal, this is another one of my go-to recipes. It is a one pot dish, easy and delicious, and always a crowd pleaser. The Roasted Vegetables can stand up as a side to pretty much anything. I usually enjoy them in the fall and winter as none of the vegetables go out of season but it’s also great for Easter alongside a leg of lamb.

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables
Pork is an excellent source of protein and tenderloin is the leanest of all pork cuts with only 26 percent of its calories coming from fat. Brussels Spouts are a great source of folic acid, vitamins C and K, and carotene. Studies have shown that they help reduce DNA damage which translates to a reduction in the risk of cancer.

Ingredients
• Cooking spray
• 28 oz bag of Baby Red potatoes, cut into equal sized pieces
• ½ lb Baby carrots
• 10 oz package of Brussels sprouts, halved
• 1 large fennel bulb, cut into 2 inch chunks
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 tbsp. dried thyme
• 1 tbsp. dried rosemary plus 1tsp. divided
• ½ tsp salt plus ¼ tsp. divided
• ½ tsp. black pepper plus ¼ tsp. divided
• 2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp olive oil divided
• 1 lb pork tenderloin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Place potatoes, baby carrots, Brussels sprouts and fennel in pan and combine with a tablespoon each of the dried herbs, ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss to coat and roast in the oven. Remove the pork tenderloin from the refrigerator and coat with garlic and remaining rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil. After 20 minutes move the vegetables so a roasting rack fits in the pan and place tenderloin on it. Cook for approximately 40 minutes turning once. Makes 4 servings.

Notes
If your roasting pan doesn’t come with its own rack, you can simply place the tenderloin directly on top of the vegetables or nestled in between them.