Pork Tenderloin with Baked Sweet Potato
⏱ 30 min prep · 🍳 45 min · 🍽 4
Pork tenderloin is the lean, quick-cooking cut from the loin — tender, but it goes from juicy to shoe leather in the span of a few unwatched minutes. This recipe solves that with one number instead of a clock: pull temperature. Season it, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, sear hard on all sides, then finish in the oven until it hits 152°F (67°C) — still faintly pink in the center, not gray edge to edge.
The sweet potatoes bake whole in foil right alongside it, running a touch hotter than the pork so both land on the counter at the same moment — no juggling two timers. While the oven does the heavy lifting, you build the herb butter and sauté the mushrooms and spinach, which is really the only stretch of the recipe that asks you to stand at the stove.
Start it the minute you're through the door from pickup, and the pork is resting under foil right as the rest of the table gets set.
Ingredients
- 800.000 g Ytrefilet av svin
- 1.000 ss Timian
- 1.000 ss Persille
- 4.000 stk Søtpotet
- 1.000 pose Spinat
- 12.000 stk Sjampinjong, skåret i fire
- 1.000 fedd Hvitløk, finhakket
- klype Salt
- klype Pepper
- 2.000 ss Nøytral olje
- 3.000 ss Hakket frisk persille
- 1.000 ss Hakket frisk timian
- 1.000 fedd Hvitløk
- 0.500 stk Sitron, saft og finrevet skall
- 150.000 g Romtemperert smør
- 1.000 ts Flaksalt
Instructions
Tørk svinekjøttet, krydre med salt, pepper og urter, og la det hvile i 30 minutter.
Brun svinefileten på høy varme i en panne med olje på alle sider.
Stek svinefileten i ovnen ved 180 grader til kjernetemperaturen er 67 grader.
Vask søtpotetene, pakk dem inn i folie og stek ved 200 grader i 45 minutter.
Lag urtebytta ved å blande hakket persille, timian, presset hvitløk, sitronsaft og smør, og smak til med flaksalt.
Stek sjampinjongene i olje på middels høy varme til de er gyldne, tilsett deretter spinaten og la den falle sammen.
Server svinefileten skåret i skiver med bakt søtpotet, soppblandingen og urtebytta.
This recipe works for families who start dinner the moment everyone's home from school pickup — the thermometer takes the guesswork out of a rushed afternoon, and the herb butter is what makes it taste like more than a Tuesday. The sweet potatoes bake whole in their skins, so the youngest can just mash their own portion straight in the jacket without you dragging out another pot. Mushrooms and spinach are the classic kid holdout — keep them in a separate bowl on the side so the rest of the plate isn't held hostage to a vegetable negotiation. It's also forgiving on timing: if practice runs long, the pork rests happily under foil for ten extra minutes without drying out.
FAQ
How do I know the pork tenderloin is done without a meat thermometer?
Without one it's easy to land on either gray, dry meat or something too rare in the middle — a meat thermometer is the most reliable way to hit the target of 152°F (67°C). Let the meat rest under foil for 5-8 minutes before slicing, or most of the juice ends up on the cutting board instead of staying in the meat.
Can I use regular potatoes instead of sweet potatoes?
Yes, a regular baking potato works in foil the same way, but plan on 50-60 minutes in the oven versus about 45 for sweet potato, which cooks faster. The flavor leans less sweet against the salty herb butter, but nothing else in the recipe needs adjusting.
My kid won't eat mushrooms — can I swap them out?
Swap the mushrooms for frozen peas or corn warmed quickly in the same pan you used for the spinach — both are neutral enough not to throw off the rest of the plate. You can also skip the spinach entirely without changing the balance of the pork or sweet potato.
Can I prep anything the night before for a busy weeknight?
The herb butter keeps 2-3 days in the fridge, or freezes rolled in plastic wrap and slices straight off the block. Season the pork tenderloin the night before and leave it covered in the fridge — it deepens the flavor and means you're only searing and roasting once you're home.
How do I reheat pork tenderloin leftovers without drying them out?
Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge. Slice the meat thin and warm it briefly in a little butter or broth in a pan over medium heat — the microwave dries it out in seconds. The sweet potato and mushroom-spinach side reheat fine in the microwave, just warm them separately from the meat.
Can I use a different cut of pork instead of tenderloin?
Pork loin filet (the thinner cut) is even more tender, so check the pull temperature after about 15 minutes rather than the full cook time. A pork loin roast is fattier and tolerates slightly higher heat without drying out, but lands with a noticeably different texture than tenderloin.