BACON WRAPPED PORK TENDERLOIN

INGREDIENTS

PORK TENDERLOIN

8 - 10 slices ox bacon pork tenderloin
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp canola oil
salt & pepper

SWEET POTATO SMASH

2 russet potatoes PEELED AND LARGE DICED
2 large yams PEELED AND LARGE DICED 3 garlic cloves PEELED
2 tbsp salt 1/2 cup milk 4 oz butter 2 tsp salt
4 green onions SMALL DICED

ROASTED APPLES & ONIONS

1 large red onion CUT INTO LARGE STRIPS
2 fuji or pink lady or gala apple CORED AND LARGE DICED
2 cloves garlic MINCED
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp stock or water
1 tsp crush red peppers

DIRECTIONS: PORK TENDERLOIN

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. While it’s preheating let’s prep the tenderloin: lay the bacon strips vertically on a board so that they are slightly overlapping with each other. Leave the bacon for the moment, grab the tenderloin, and season it with salt and pepper. Tuck the thin end of the fillet under so the pork is roughly the same thickness from end to end. In a cast iron skillet, heat your canola oil over high heat. Sear the pork on each side until it’s got a nice brown to it. Remove from heat and let it cool to the point where you can touch it. Place the tenderloin on the bed of bacon at the end closest to you. Use a long knife or something similar as a spatula to kind of lift the bacon and start rolling the pork so the bacon wraps around the meat. Finish with the bacon seam side down.

Transfer the bacon wrapped tenderloin back to the skillet. Drizzle on the honey and brush to completely cover the meat. Move the whole cast iron skillet to the oven and roast for 25 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 149 degrees. Baste with pan juices at like the 20 minute mark, redistributing those juices and that honey that’s pooled in the skillet. This is a vital step: it’s going to make the bacon a deep, golden brown.

Once it’s done, let it rest for 5 minutes. Maybe baste it one more time before serving - oh and to serve, cut it into nice, thick slices.

IRECTIONS: SIDE DISHES

Boil the potatoes, yams, and garlic until fork tender - plus a litte more. Strain the potatoes (make sure to keep the garlic cloves in the pot). Start smashing the mixture, pauce, add the milk and butter and keep smashing until it’s smooth. Taste and if needed (probably will be needed), add some salt. Garnish with diced green onions before serving.

Heat a large, flat bottom sauce pan. Add the olive oil and let it heat. Add the onions and cook until just a little soft, about 3-4 minutes (make sure they do not start to burn!). Add the diced apples and garlic and cook. The sugars from the onions and apples will create a caramel-like texture which will help form a sauce and fully cook the ingredients. Complete your sauce by adding in the butter. Allow it to melt - once the bubbles fully disappear add the stock and cook until it’s combined. Finish with the crushed red peppers and a pinch of salt and pepper.