Orange and Rosemary Roasted Pork Tenderloin

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I don’t know if you know this…but I really, really, really love food.

I mean, half of my day is usually spent thinking about what I should eat for dinner. And the other half is spent running The Sustainable Seafood Blog Project, developing recipes, and working my way through a graduate degree full of food research. My life is food, food, food, all the time. Except for when they make me take stats classes (grrrr). And it’s been that way for years. But you know what? I haven’t hit burnout yet (knock on wood). Which is kind of great. There are enough different ways to eat and work with and think about food that my days are still diverse and interesting.

If I was spending 24/7 doing food security research again, like I did for my Thesis, would I burn out? You betcha. I’d go back into a deep hole with nothing but wine and pizza and sweatpants and binders upon binders full of research and the occasional human interaction and just wanting my defense to be OVER ALREADY. Thankfully, this blog and the SSBP have given me the opportunity to diversify.

My life is still full of food all the time, but I’ve managed to find a little bit of balance. Some days I feel more balanced than others. Some days I rule the twitterverse and network my butt off and get totally caught up on email. Other days I can’t get off the couch and face the universe so Kyle and I just sit and watch 10 straight hours of True Blood, not because we decided we like it (I haven’t seen the Twilights, but I’m still pretty sure it’s a rip off, cuz there’s a girl and a vampire and a dog-man and stuff, right?), but because to let it keep playing is easier than spending an indecisive hour finding another series to try. We are NOT good at making decisions. Big things, sure. Like moving to New York, or where to spend Christmas. But things like where to eat dinner, or what kind of beer to get, or what show to watch? We’re all, “uhhhhh…I don’t care?” and then we just stand there staring at each other for 20 minutes waiting for the other person to cave and pick something. Because we’re really, really cool.

But I should tell you about this pork! Here’s what you need to know:

It’s really good.

It’s deceptively easy to make but looks really fancy because there’s TWINE and stuff.

I ate it with these mashed potatoes and I’m pretty sure I have never made a better lunchtime decision in my entire life.

Enough said.

Orange and Rosemary Roasted Pork Tenderloin

• Yield: Serves 4-6 1x

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Ingredients

• 2 lb. pork tenderloin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 orange, sliced thinly
• 4 large springs fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and sliced

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Instructions

1. Salt and pepper tenderloin to taste.
2. Lay 6-7 pieces of cooking twine 1″ apart over a baking sheet – you should have enough twine to wrap the entire length of the tenderloin.
   
3. Layer half of the orange slices across twine. Top with 1 clove of sliced garlic and 2 of the rosemary sprigs.
   
4. Place the pork tenderloin fatty side down on top of the first orange-garlic-rosemary layer.
   
5. Top the tenderloin with remaining garlic, then rosemary, then orange slices.
6. Tie twine tightly around tenderloin, making sure to keep all orange slices, rosemary, and garlic in place.
   
7. Bake at 375 for 45-55 minutes, until pork reaches an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees F.
8. Let pork rest for 10-15 minutes.
9. When pork has rested, cut twine and remove oranges and rosemary sprigs. Slice pork and serve immediately. Top with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar if you’d like to add a colorful touch to the pork, but it’s just as great without it!

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