Curried Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Maple-Ginger Sweet Potatoes and Apple

Serves 6

Adapted from http://www.ouichefnetwork.com

Ingredients:

For the pork:

• 1 large pork tenderloin, cut into 6 medallions
• 2 T curry powder
• 2 T canola oil

For the apple cider sauce:

• 2 cups apple cider
• 1/2 T apple cider vinegar
• 1 T of cold unsalted butter
• 1 t chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 t cornstarch mixed with 1/2 teaspoon water

Roasted sweet potatoes and apples:

• 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 8 cups)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 T unsalted butter, (2 T melted, 1 not)
• 3 T lemon juice, divided
• 2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 3 t grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground nutmeg
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Method:

Roasted sweet potatoes and apples:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Toss cubed sweet potatoes with the melted butter, the grated ginger, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and some fresh ground pepper and arrange them in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. 
• Place sheet in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, give them a quick stir and then continue roasting them for another 15 minutes.
• Pull the sheet from the oven, drizzle the potatoes with the maple syrup, add the cranberries, and give them another stir.  Place back in the oven and roast for a final 10 minutes.
• While the potatoes are roasting, heat 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and the other 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a small frying pan and throw in the cubed apples and chopped nuts. Cook until the apples have softened some, but still have a little crunch. Place in a bowl to reserve.
• When the potatoes have finished roasting, add them to the bowl of apples and stir to combine.  Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, with chopped scallions and cilantro sprinkled over the top.

Apple cider sauce:

• Place the 2 cups of apple cider and the 1/2 tablesoon of apple cider vinegar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and reduce to 1/2 cup.  Lower the heat and add the cornstarch slurry, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the tablespoon of butter until it is fully emulsified with the cider. Toss in the thyme leaves, and season to taste with freshly ground pepper.  Cover and reserve in a warm place.

Pork tenderloin:

• Season the pork medallions with the curry powder and let stand for at about 30 minutes.
• In a large, heavy skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 8 to 10 minutes total. Depending on the size of your tenderloin and thickness of your medallions, they may be fully cooked at this point, if not, transfer the skillet to the 400℉ oven and continue cooking until the center of the pork registers 150-155 ℉.   Remove the meat from the skillet and tent with foil to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.