A while back I did a posting about low cost pork tenderloins. The neat thing about pork tenderloin is its versatility. It can be cut into steaks and used like pork chops, smoked, sliced and cooked into stir-frys, used in soup, or it can be left whole and roasted.. The thing is, for such a low cost cut of meat (as low as $1.88/lb) it can also make for a very elegant entrée in a pinch.

To make this, I started with a 10lb tenderloin and cut it about in half. The other half I sliced into steaks and froze. I then cleaned it, by running it under cold water, and patted it dry with a paper towel.

5 lb pork tenderloin
1-2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan
4 tsp Dried basil (fresh works, just chop it finely)
2 tsp Dried Thyme (fresh works, just cup it as above)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
Dijon Mustard
salt & pepper
twine (optional)

I prefer my roast to be a bit more round and symmetrical, so I simply took about 5 pieces of twine and tied the roast up. Note, I did not use a single twine piece that ran along the bottom, I used 5 separate pieces. You do not want to have it running along the bottom as that may pull the crust off.

I then sprinkle that with salt and pepper.. and flip it so it is fat side up. Then sprinkle the fat side with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, I put about 1-2 cups of panko bread crumbs, about 3 cloves of minced garlic, about 4 tsp of dried basil, about 2 tsp of dried thyme, and about a tsp of salt. I then add in about 1/2 cup of cheese (I prefer grated parmesan, but since I forgot to grab it in the store, I simply used cheddar).

Next, I go back to my roast and just smother the whole thing in Dijon mustard. I want a nice thick even coat around the entire roast.

I take my bread mixture and pat it all over the roast, ensuring a good thick cover.

Notice I just put this directly into a ungreased pan. I did this on purpose. I find adding butter to the bottom of the pan, leaves me with a more slimy crust on the bottom, but using a rack, I don't get all the flavor from the drippings, when I make gravy. So, I put it in directly, and it always seems to come out perfect for me.

This goes into the 350 degree oven for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.. I'm looking for an internal temperature of 140 degrees.

Then I let it rest for about 10 minutes.

I remove the roast from the pan... and slice

Extra credit: Gravy

After I remove the roast from the pan, I place the pan on a burner set to medium high. I then pour in about 2 cups of chicken stock and let it come to a boil in the pan (deglazing the pan). I then pour all of that into a saucepan, and heat back up to boiling, and simmer for about 10 minutes (till reduced by about half). I then combing 1 Tbs of flour and 1 Tbs of water and add it to the liquid, along with some salt and pepper. I bring that to a boil and simmer it for about 3 minutes.