I've never understood what people mean when they say they are a "meat and potatoes" kind of person. Until now... because this is definitely a dish I could build a personal identity around.
Pork tenderloin, stuffed with a powerful mixture of fresh sage, rosemary, and garlic and drizzled with velvety smooth pan gravy — these slices of pork were some of the juiciest, most flavorful pieces of meat I've ever had. Served side-by-side with crispy, pan-fried brussels sprouts and roasted baby redskin potatoes that are crusty on the outside, fluffy and buttery on the inside. I could eat this for days without tiring of it.
To be honest, I was a little nervous about the pork when I decided to cut it open, stuff it, and roll it back up. It's not something I've done before, and I was certain I'd end up just cutting it in half, ruining a not-terribly-inexpensive cut of meat.
But, I found a diagram image over at Domestic Fits that was very helpful as I mapped out how I was going to slice into the tenderloin (note: this is not an endorsement of that website, I just liked this one particular image and want to give them appropriate credit).
For the stuffing, I mixed up some fresh sage, rosemary, parsley, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper - and it's infused the tenderloin with a fragrant, herbaceousness (that's a word, right?) that is perfect for a fall dinner in advance of Thanksgiving.
After you roll this up, you're going to want to salt the outside and let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour — don't skip this step, it's important for keeping the meat juicy and helping the flavors to meld.
The Brussels sprouts are simply cut in half, tossed with oil, salt and pepper, and sautéed over high heat until they are brown and crispy.
The potatoes are roasted to fresh rosemary and then smashed and topped with butter.
Sage and Rosemary Pork Roulade with Brussels Sprouts and Smashed Redskin Potatoes