Pork Tenderloin with Lemon and Rosemary Sauce for #ImprovCookingChallenge

Welcome to the Improv Cooking Challenge, a fun little group led by Nichole of Cookaholic Wife. This month we were given the challenge of making a recipe that contained Lemon and Rosemary.  A few weeks ago I decided to use lemon and rosemary in cupcakes.  I don't know what I did wrong but let me tell you....those cupcakes volcanoed ad overflowed all over my oven.  What a stinky, awful mess.  I was happy it was early in the month so I had time to come up with another idea.

I had pulled out a pork tenderloin for dinner and found a recipe by Ina Garten for an Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin that I modified a bit since there were only two of us for dinner and I only needed to make one tenderloin.  I did not add any dijon mustard to the marinade and I used a tuscan herb olive oil.  

I followed the directions for searing and then roasting the meat after it spent the day in the marinade. It turned out perfectly cooked.  Tender, juicy and melt in your mouth delicious.

While taking photos, it came to my attention that this plate could use some color.  It is awfully brown but.....we were hungry, it smelled wonderful and I wasn't spending anymore time on prep.  

I'm anxious to see how the others improvised to include Lemon and Rosemary in their dishes.  Make sure you stop by the links following my recipe and see what they came up with.

Lemon and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

adapted from Ina Garten

1 pork tenderloin

juice and zest of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Leaves from 1 sprig rosemary, minced

Leaves from 1 sprig thyme

2 T. Tuscan Herb Olive Oil

1 T. olive oil

Place the lemon zest, juice, 2 T. of flavored oil, and seasonings into a large plastic bag that seals. Seal bag and shake to combine ingredients.  Trim any silverskin from the tenderloin and add it to the marinade.  Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours.  Remove tenderloin from marinade, leaving any bits of herbs clinging to it.

Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large, oven proof skillet over med high heat.  Add the tenderloin and sear on all sides.  Place the pan into a preheated 400* oven for 10-15 minutes, until an internal temperature of the thickest part of the roast reaches 140*.  Remove the roast from the oven, cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2" thick slices.  Print Recipe

More Lemon and Rosemary Creations

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