Sometimes, things go terribly wrong but, afterward, it turns out to be one of those delicious mistakes you’re so glad you made.
That happened when I was aiming for a roasted whole chicken, rubbed under and over the skin with a potent blend of coarse black pepper, kosher salt, dried thyme, garlic powder and lemon zest. I would drizzle it with oil and pop it in the oven. When it came out, I would squeeze the lemon juice over the crisp skin. I could already smell it.
Unfortunately, when I started to unwrap my raw chicken, what I smelled was more foul than fowl. The chicken had spoiled.
I had a bowl full of fresh-made lemon-pepper seasoning, but no chicken.
I grabbed the only other fresh meat I had on hand — a large pork tenderloin. I rubbed, oiled, roasted and drizzled it just as I’d been planning for the chicken. It was superb, tangy and savoury and salty with a nice bite from the pepper.
Lemon-Pepper Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Serve this pork tenderloin with a side of roasted new potatoes. Toss them with olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, then roast at the same temperature as the pork for 20 minutes, or until tender. You can even roast them on the same baking sheet. Just arrange the potatoes on one half, roast for about five minutes, then add the pork to the other half of the pan and continue roasting. Just before serving the potatoes, squeeze a little of the lemon juice over them at the same time as you do the pork.
Start to finish: 25 minutes
Servings: four
2 lemons, zested
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2-pound pork tenderloin
Heat the oven to 425 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
In a small bowl, mix together the lemon zest, salt, thyme, garlic powder and black pepper.
Drizzle the olive oil over the pork tenderloin, then rub to coat evenly.
Sprinkle the lemon zest mixture evenly over all sides of the tenderloin.
Set the pork on the prepared baking sheet, then roast for 15 minutes, or until it reaches 145 F at the centre.
Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for five minutes, then slice into centimetre-thick slices.
Squeeze the lemons over the sliced pork and serve immediately.
