Wednesday - Stuffed pork tenderloin with mashed sweet and yukon gold potatoes

While at Whole Foods on Tuesday, I also picked up a nice pork tenderloin.  The meat counter at the WF here was looking better than I remembered.  While I'm still very sad at the state of the produce here (yes, spoiled California child), It was nice to find good meat.  This is another one of those dishes that I make a lot, fairly easy to do, parts can be done ahead, and its very pretty on the plate.  Father says he doesn't like pork tenderloin, but then he always likes it when I make it this way.  For the sides, I made mashed yukon gold potatoes for Father, and mashed sweet potatoes for mom, since Father doesn't like sweets... and mom never gets to eat them otherwise.  I like both, so I had a combination (as pictured).  I forgot to take photos while I was making it.  Maybe I can dig some up from my cooking class.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Yukon Golds

For the pork:

1 leek, rinsed and chopped

1 zucchini, small dice

1 red pepper, small dice

¼ lb fontina cheese, small dice (that's my normal recipe - I only had Comte, so used that instead)

1/8 lb pancetta, diced (didn't have pancetta, so I used prosciutto)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp chopped rosemary

1 pork tenderloin

3 tbsp olive oil

¼ cup marsala

¼ cup chicken stock

2 tbsp cold butter

• Preheat oven to 500 (485 convection).
• Saute the vegetables in some olive oil.  Remove to bowl.  In same pan, sauté pancetta till rendered, then add to veggies.  Combine with fontina, garlic, 1/2 of the rosemary, salt & pepper. This can be done ahead, and then stuff the pork when ready to cook.
• Make an opening in center of the short end of the tenderloin with a boning knife and/or sharpening steel.  If using a knife, be careful that you don't cut through the sides of the tenderloin.  I usually use a knife to start, and then use the steel to get all the way through.  Then I use my fingers to make sure the hole is big enough to accomodate the stuffing.  Stuff with veggie mixture and close ends with toothpicks.  This part can be a little tricky and messy.  Make sure to get the stuffing all the way to the center.  You can stuff from both ends.  Take your time - patience is the key with this step.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in ovenproof pan (not nonstick) and brown pork on all sides.
• Put in oven and cook for 10-15 minutes, until a thermometer reads 145.
• Remove pork and tent with foil.
• Add marsala to pan to deglaze, reduce for a few minutes.  Add stock and reduce for about 5 minutes.  Swirl in butter.
• Slice pork and drizzle sauce over.
• Serve with mashed potatoes.

For the potatoes:

3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (or 2 sweet potatoes)

salt

2 tbsp butter

• Peel the potatoes, and cut into similar size pieces, about 2" diameter
• Put in a pot of cold water.  If doing both sweet and regular, use 2 separate pots.
• Add plenty of salt - the water should be salted the same as pasta - it should taste like the sea.
• Bring to a boil, then cook for about 15 minutes, until fork tender (fork, not knife).
• Drain into a colander, then put through a food mill back into the pan.  Alternately, if you don't have a food mill, you can use a masher, but a food mill will give you a nice, fluffy, even texture.
• Add butter, stir, and taste for seasoning.