Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Stuffed pork tenderloin © kvalifood.com

Stuffed pork tenderloin with bacon, onion and sage is a flavorful weekday dish that looks good on the plate. The tenderloins are split, filled and secured with toothpicks, then briefly braised in stock. A simple pan sauce is made from the cooking juices.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

  • 2 medium pork tenderloins
  • 1 dl chopped onion
  • 2 slices machine-cut bacon
  • 1–2 sage leaves or 1/4 tsp dried sage
  • 20–30 g butter or margarine
  • 2 dl stock
  • optional: 1/4 dl cream

Accompaniments

  • potatoes
  • cauliflower

Method

Filling

Fry the bacon in a dry pan until golden and crisp. Transfer to paper towels. Fry the onion in the bacon fat until golden — add a little butter if needed. Remove the onion and season with salt and pepper. Chop the sage. Crumble the bacon and mix with the onion and sage.

Tenderloin

Prepare the tenderloins — remove the side muscle, sinew and membrane. Cut a slit halfway through lengthways and pound the meat out a little. Season the inside with salt and pepper. Spread the filling over one tenderloin, not quite to the edges. Place the other tenderloin on top and secure with toothpicks.

Braising

Brown the meat in the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot on both sides. Add the stock, reduce the heat and put the lid on. Turn the meat 2–3 times. Cook for 15–25 minutes. Remove the meat and pull out the toothpicks. Add the cream if using and reduce the sauce a little.

Serving

Slice the meat into 1 cm thick slices and spoon the sauce over.

Notes

  • Do not overfill — the meat needs to close properly, otherwise the filling will leak out during cooking
  • Always let the meat rest 5–10 minutes before slicing
  • Alternative fillings: roasted tomato wedges; chopped mushrooms and bell pepper; browned apple and onion with curry; meatball mixture with basil and garlic
  • The two tenderloins can be tied with string at 3–4 cm intervals for a more compact roll