My inspiration for this dish was actually my boyfriend. He swore up and down that he absolutely hated pork tenderloin after his first time having it, so I set out to change that. I knew that he loves stuffing and gravy, as well as pork chops with apple sauce. This gave me the idea to incorporate all those flavors together to make something that would change his mind about pork tenderloin. When he came home from work he took one look at the final product and he immediately wanted to try it, and when he did he LOVED it! He gushed all night about how delicious it was and it has become a staple recipe in my house.
- Portion size 6 servings
- Credits : high_fashun_dieselina
Ingredients
Cider gravy:
Pork tenderloin:
Stuffing:
Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.For the stuffing: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the chopped apples followed by the chopped onion and stir to coat with butter/oil. Add sage and stir to incorporate. Saute until apples and onions are softened and fragrant. Remove from heat and transfer apple and onion mixture to a large bowl.Add the bread and stir to combine. Add the beaten egg, salt and pepper and stir gently to incorporate. Add the chicken broth gradually until everything is moistened. Let the stuffing mixture cool completely before stuffing the tenderloin. Spoon the stuffing down the pork, horizontally, in a line. Roll the pork over the stuffing.
For the pork tenderloin: Butterfly the tenderloin. To do this place the meat on a cutting board so one end is facing you. Holding a long, slender, sharp knife parallel to the cutting board, cut the tenderloin horizontally in half, starting on one long side (at the right if you are righthanded and at the left if you're lefthanded) and cutting almost all the way through to the opposite side, stopping about 1 inch from the edge. Open the piece of meat as you would a book, then place it between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound it gently with the side of a heavy cleaver or with a rolling pin to make a rectangle uniformly about 1 inch thick. Spoon the stuffing down the pork, horizontally, in a line. Roll the pork over the stuffing jelly roll style, ending with the seam down. Wrap the tenderloin in bacon slices to hold the pork loin together while roasting. The bacon also helps to keep the pork moist while roasting. Transfer to a roasting pan with a rack.
Roast the pork, uncovered for about 90 minutes, flipping tenderloin over halfway through to make sure bacon cooks evenly on both sides. Pork is done when an instant-read thermometer reads 160 degrees F, after about 90 min. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. While pork is resting, make the cider gravy.
For the cider gravy: Pour out some of the excess fat from the roasting pan and put it on the stove over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the flour into the hot pan juices, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk, this will help to prevent lumps in the gravy. Cook and stir the roux (flour mixture) until it's light brown. Add the apple cider and continue to stir to incorporate. Pour in the chicken broth and continue to whisk until incorporated; boil and stir for 5 minutes until the sauce is thick. Whisk in apple cider vinegar. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
To serve: Slice tenderloin into 6 equally sized rounds. Place rounds onto plates and pour cider gravy over rounds. Serve immediately.
