Inexpensive, tasty recipe for Valentine's Day

Think tender, delicious pork tenderloin baked wrapped in bacon. I was planning a dinner party for this past weekend when I stumbled over the pork tenderloins on sale at the Safeway for $2.99 pound (good through Tuesday, February 10th).

Pork should not be overcooked. I got mine out of the oven at 155 degrees and let them rest wrapped in aluminum foil which would take them up to 160 degrees. (This is the recommended temperature). I brined my pork tenderloins for about 4 hours, this is not a necessity – just something I like to do to add moisture and flavor to my meat and poultry when I can.

Roast Pork Tenderloin wrapped in Bacon

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 Pork Tenderloin approximately 1 to 1 ½ pounds
*Assorted Seasonings: I used lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, pepper and some paprika
3 slices of bacon

*Season your meat with your favorite spice profile. Use dried herbs as well.

Equipment
Shallow roasting pan or ½ sheet pan
Roasting rack
Instant read thermometer

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Season your pork tenderloin
3. Tuck the narrow end of the tenderloin under. Proceed to wrap the bacon around the tenderloin and put on the rack.
4. Cook for approximately 25 to 35 minutes depending on your over. This is where the instant read thermometer comes in. Put the instant read thermometer in the center of the loin to check temperature and pull the pork tenderloin out no later than 155 degrees…the temperature will rise after coming out of the oven. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before cutting it.

Serving suggestions:

1. Mashed or oven roasted potatoes. I served mine with mashed potatoes and homemade mushroom gravy. Don’t like potatoes then rice is a cost-effective alternative.
2. Vegetable: I did a spinach sauté with garlic, butter, olive oil, onion and chicken stock. Your veggie options are wide open: string beans, cabbage, peas or a salad – I did a mixed green salad with pear, blue cheese and homemade vinaigrette.

If any of you are interested in brining the pork tenderloin, drop me a note and I’ll get you the formula for brining (examiner@diningdish.otherinbox.com)