Sarana's Cooking Stories

Ingredients	Measurements
Pork Tenderloin	600g
Cherry Tomatoes	300g
Champignons	100g
Sweet Potatoes	2 medium big ones
Carrots	1 big one
Potatoes	to taste, 1 small one
Yellow Onion	1
Garlic	6 Cloves
Ginger	1cm
Orange	juice of 1
Curry	1 teaspoon
Paprika	1 teaspoon
Salt, Pepper	to taste
Olive Oil	50-100ml
Chicken broth	400ml

Directions

Because you want your meat to be slightly rose and not overcooked, it’s best to prepare everything before cooking your tenderloin. If you feel comfortable with your speed, you could mash the vegetables while the pork is in the oven though.

Prepwork

Let’s get everything ready first:

Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Carrots: Peel and dice the sweet potatoes, carrots, and potatoes into medium-sized chunks, about 2-3cm each. Peeling them helps keep the mash’s color consistent.

Onion: Peel and finely dice the onion.

Tomatoes: Wash them under hot water, keeping them on the stem.

Champignons: Clean the mushrooms, cutting off their stems so they can lay flat in the pan. You can optionally make a cross on the tops for decoration.

Garlic: Peel the cloves, but leave them whole.

Pork Tenderloin: Make sure it’s not too cold, ideally at room temperature. If needed, cut it to fit your pan size. Pat the meat dry and season it with curry, paprika, salt, and pepper. Rub the spices in thoroughly.

Orange Juice: Squeeze the orange.

Ginger: Peel and grate it.

Cooking

Now, let’s start cooking:

1. Oven-Baked Tomatoes: Preheat your oven to 150°C. Take a small oven dish large enough for your tomatoes and garlic. Put them in and generously cover with olive oil. Place the dish in the oven to bake.
2. Sweet Potato Mash: In a medium-sized pot, sauté the onion and ginger in olive oil for about three minutes. Then, add the rest of the vegetables and brown them for another 2-3 minutes. Next, add the orange juice to deglaze the pot. Follow it up with the chicken stock and additional salt. Let everything cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables should be fork-tender, and most of the liquid should have evaporated. If the vegetables aren’t cooked through, add a small splash of water at a time until they’re done. If there’s too much liquid, let it cook a little longer. When almost no liquid remains, mash the vegetables. I like to use a fine mesh sieve, but you can use a potato masher if you prefer a chunkier texture. Season with salt, pepper, and optionally, a bit of apple cider vinegar.
3. Pork Tenderloin: Heat a pan over high heat with a little oil. Sear the tenderloin on all sides until it’s nicely browned. Transfer it to an oven-safe dish and place it in the oven. Turn down the temperature of the oven to about 50C°. The pork shouldn’t be in the oven for more than 15-20 minutes.
4. Mushrooms: Add some more oil to the pan and heat it up. Sear the mushrooms on all sides until they’re nicely browned.

Plating:

Before serving, let the meat rest for a bit. Now, it’s time to plate up:

Put a generous dollop of mash in the middle of each plate. Add the mushrooms, a sprig of tomatoes, and some garlic cloves. Then, slice the meat into 2cm thick slices and arrange them on top of the mash. Finally, you can drizzle a tiny amount of the tomato garlic oil on top of the dish. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Improvements / Variations

If you don’t have enough time, you can always just boil the vegetables instead of simmering them.
Nutmeg or Cumin could also elevate the mash further.