Fall Flavors - Pork & Sweet Potatoes

   

 Some recipes just say "Fall" and make us think of golden leaves, foggy mornings, and crisp weather. In Kansas fall likes to play 'hide and seek' with us, so although the day I planned this menu was fall-like, the day I made and served it seemed more like summer. But the calendar tells us fall, so we turn our thoughts and tastes to fall dishes...
     Pork Tenderloin is a surprisingly easy cut to prepare. It differs from pork loin and sometimes the two are confused as the names are similar. The tenderloin is a boneless cut from a muscle along the backbone of the hog, it is a thin long cut of meat, making nice medallion-like servings. This cut is very tender (as the name implies) and best cooked at a high temperature for a shorter time. The Loin cut is from the animal's back and can be bone-in or boneless. It is more like a roast and usually in a 3-5 pound cut. It is better cooked in a lower temperature for a longer time to tenderize the meat.
     My recipe was a slow cooker prep that I adapted to the oven, which I thought was more suitable for the tenderloin. I did precook the sweet potatoes to assure they were done when the meat was ready. I also doubled the recipe for a family sized meal and leftovers.

Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins (about 1.5 pounds each)
3 large sweet potatoes
3 medium apples
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/4 cup water

Directions:
1. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into chunks. Cook in boiling water until fork tender.
2. Peel and slice apples.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, thyme, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne pepper.
4. Arrange sweet potatoes in baking pan. Add minced onion and sprinkle with half of spice mixture.
5. Coat pork with remaining spice mixture. Place on top of sweet potatoes in baking pan. Top pork with apples, cranberries, and water.
6. Cook at 425 degrees for 1 1/2 hours, or until pork internal temperature is 145 degrees (medium rare) to 160 degrees (medium).
7. Optional - glaze with a mixture of 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and broil for an additional 5 minutes.

Ready to go into the oven

After roasting 1 1/2 hours

We served the sweet potatoes and apples
on the side