I took a page from Hugh Acheson’s new cookbook, The Broad Fork, and made his pork tenderloin with roasted apples and parsnip puree. We loved what he did, but modified ours to make it Whole30 compliant.

I roasted the tenderloin, turning it four times to sear the loins. Stuck it in the oven for about 5 minutes and took it out to rest. We tossed the thinly sliced apple rounds in a bit of olive oil and cooked alongside the pork then topped with the dipping sauce. (If you are wondering what happened to the extra apple slices, we finished them off before they even got to the table. Oh, well!) Absolutely scrumptious!

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Roasted Pork Loin and Apples

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Ingredients

  •   2 trimmed pork tenderloins, 1 lb each
  •   Kosher salt
  •   1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  •   1 shallot, minced
  •   1/4 cup celery, minced
  •   1 small carrot, minced
  •   1 sprig fresh thyme
  •   1 bay leaf
  •   2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  •   1-1/2 cups chicken stock
  •   1 tablespoon high heat oil
  •   2 apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch thick rings

For the Parsnip Puree: 

  •   2 tablespoons clarified butter
  •   1 small yellow onion
  •   Kosher salt
  •   3 parsnips, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 cups)
  •   2 cups chicken stock
  •   Juice of 1 lemon
  •   Fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

  1.   Roast the Apples: Preheat oven to 350. Brush both sides of the sliced apples with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and set aside.
  2.   Make the Parsnip Puree: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of clarified butter and add the onion and thyme leaves. Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly sweat the onion, stirring to prevent any color from developing. After the onion is soft, about 5 minutes, add a pinch of salt and the parsnips. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until the parsnips are soft and tender, about 20 minutes.
  3.   Place the contents of the pan into a blender and puree on high. While the blender is still running, add the remaining clarified butter, lemon juice, and salt to taste.
  4.   Make the Pork: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the pork evenly with salt and set aside.
  5.   Warm a saucepan over medium heat and add olive oil, shallots, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add the thyme sprig, bay leaf, and vinegar. Cook for about 3 minutes or until reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and reduce again by half, or about 9 more minutes. Remove the thyme sprig and bay leaf and set the sauce aside in a warm spot.
  6.   Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the high heat oil. Pat the pork dry with paper towel, then right before oil starts to smoke, place the pork in the skillet. Making sure all surfaces of the pork loin are seared evenly even though it’s round, sear each side of the pork loin for 1 minute, about 4 minutes total, turning with tongs. Place the skillet in the oven and roast the pork for about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and place the loin on a cooling rack. Add a little water to the pan and stir to collect all of the pork drippings.
  7.   Slice the pork and place on a serving platter. Pour the drippings from the skillet and the sauce around and over the pork. Garnish with the roasted apples and serve with parsnip puree.


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