And we’re back! I’ve been home (New Jersey, of the NYC Metro variety) for the past week on a rather spur of the moment trip, spawned by a super cheap plane ticket and a slight personal crisis. It was really nice to see my mom (obviously, because she rocks my socks off), to eat and drink my way across three states, and also for it NOT TO BE RAINING OMG. And then I got back to Macon and in less than 24 hours it was, naturally, raining like the end of days. But in the great obnoxious metaphor that is life, after the rain comes the sun. We may not be seeing much sun in Georgia right now, but after my own personal thunderstorm these past 5 months (good grief, has it really been that long and yet only that long?) I have finally seen the sunshine. I start my very own full-time, health insurance-providing, ass-kicking lawyer job next week. Say whaaaaaaaat! F’real f’real. So here is a tasty celebratory meal thanks to Fresh Market’s on-sale pork tenderloin and a whole lotta garlic. Super easy and makes fantastic leftovers for sandwiches or just snacked on plain.
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin (I bought a two-pounder and got home to find that it was actually two one-pounders stuck together…winning!)
- 1 head of garlic, cloves skinned nekkid
- fresh rosemary stalks
- olive oil
- salt’n’peppa
Preheat your oven to 325*. Place the tenderloin(s) in some sort of walled cooking contraption – I used a deep baking sheet. Strategically poke holes in your loin and insert whole (you heard me) garlic cloves firmly into the meat. As much as you want. I went garlic-crazy, but that’s totally normal for me. The garlic will try to work its way out, so just push it back in. Also take some spears of rosemary and shove them into the pork as well. If you go with the grain of the meat, they’ll run in quite easily. Drizzle a little olive oil on and add salt and pepper to your taste.
like so…
I was intending on cooking my 2lb conquest for an hour and a half, but since they turned out to only be 1lb each, they got an hour. Remove and tent with foil for 10 minutes while it rests.
serious om noms
Extract the rosemary as best you can from the pork. Slice into medallions and marvel at the gems of garlic studding your magnificent loin (have you been giggling every time I’ve said that? GOOD!!). I enjoyed this with simple sauteed yellow squash’n’onions, a Southern summer favorite. Deeeeeelish!
Cooking Up Happy 