Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Dill Potatoes

Ok so let me start out by saying I am not a professional chef at all and I have absolutely no idea what I am doing, but somehow everything always ends up turning out quite well!

We have been trying to eat healthy for a while now and so I have been trying cook at home more instead of grabbing a pizza or fast food. I have also been trying to use healthy ingredients too. So, I decided every time I make something that ends up being pretty delicious I'll share it here so you can try it too! (and so I can remember it for next time lol)

Tonight I made a delicious Pork Tenderloin with dill potatoes. Here is what you will need...

For the Pork
1 pork tenderloin
roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil
smoked balsamic vinegar
cherrywood smoked salt
bourbon smoked pepper
paprika
rosemary
thyme
basil

For the Potatoes
3-4 potatoes
tuscan herb olive oil
himalayan pink seal salt
freshly ground black peppercorn
dill weed

Step 1: Prep
You need to start the prep about 2 hours before you actually plan on beginning to cook. Take your pork tenderloin and place it in either a large Ziploc plastic bag or a Tupperware container with a lid. I prefer a bag just because you can close it and distribute all of the contents evenly, but a container works too. I actually had to use a container tonight when i realized I was OUT of baggies!

So, place your tenderloin in the bottom of the container. Be sure it has room to lay flat. Drizzle sparingly some of the smoked balsamic vinegar and roasted garlic olive oil over the top of the tenderloin. A little goes a long way with this stuff!! I like to use things that are made locally, or as close to home as possible, so I get my oil and vinegar from Zi Olive. I have been using extra virgin olive oil in everything because it is WAY healthier than butter! Also, the same with the smoked balsamic, it is WAY healthier than using a bbq sauce!

Next, sprinkle the cherrywood smoked salt, bourbon smoked pepper, paprika, rosemary, thyme, and basil over the top of the oil and vinegar. You can use any brand for the herbs. I like Spice Islands spices. For the smoked salt and pepper, you will probably need to find those through a specialty shop. I was able to purchase them through Zi Olive when getting the oil and vinegar. There isn't really an exact amount of any of these ingredients. I measured out literally nothing. Just use your personal preference. I will say that the smoked pepper is very strong, so I would use it in MODERATION.

Now I took one of those little food brushes (not sure if that has a proper name, like I said, I'm no professional lol) and I gently spread all of those ingredients around on the top of the tenderloin. I then flipped it over and followed the same procedure for the other side. If you ARE using a plastic baggie, then just pour all of those ingredients into the baggie, make sure it is sealed well, and turn the bag several times to coat the meat evenly. 

Finally, place your baggie or container in the refrigerator to allow it to marinate. I was only able to let it marinate for an hour tonight (got a late start, OOPSY), but I prefer to let meat typically marinate for at least two hours, the longer the better.

In the meantime, you can prep your potatoes! Wash them and dice them. I like to leave the peel on because it is supposed to be good for you! Next place all of the diced potato into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle more of the roasted garlic olive oil over the top. Next, sprinkle the himalayan salt, black peppercorn, and dill weed over the top. Again, no exact measurements, just personal preference. Again though, I would recommend going easy on the pepper. If you desire, you can substitute rosemary on the potatoes instead of dill. I just love dill, but rosemary goes great with pork!

I like to use Himalayan Salt over table salt because it is SO MUCH MORE HEALTHY!!! It has over 80 different minerals found within the human body and is supposed to help regulate your ph along with a ton of other benefits.

Stir your potatoes until the ingredients are evenly covering all of the potatoes and set aside until your are ready to cook your pork tenderloin.


Step 2: Cooking
Once you have finished marinating your tenderloin (longer is better), you are ready to start cooking!
First, take the pork out of the refrigerator to allow it to come closer to room temperature and preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Next, grab a skillet large enough to allow the pork to lay flat, and put it over medium heat.

Pour a moderate amount of roasted garlic olive oil into the skillet, just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle a little bit more of the smoked salt, paprika, and some of the himalayan salt over the top of the pork and place that side face down in the skillet.

While that side cooks, sprinkle the salts and paprika over the other side. I recommend not adding more herbs, because I did and they burned much quicker than the meat was able to brown! Brown each side of the pork until a golden color. This should only take about 3-5 minutes on each side.

Remove the pork from the heat, it should not be cooked all the way through and place it in a baking dish.




Now you can add a few more herbs on the top if you wish.

Take your potatoes and scatter them around the tenderloin. Sprinkle them with the himalayan salt and place thebaking dish in the oven.

Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes depending on the size of your pork.

Check the packaging to see what the finished temp of your meat should be, but I find that it works best to let it get ALMOST to that temp. When it goes all the way, it tends to be very dry.


Remove the pork from the oven. Use a fork to test the potatoes. They should all be tender and starting to become golden on the edges. Test the temperature of the pork, but don't cut it. Allow it to sit and rest for at least 5 minutes. I am told this makes your meat juicier and less dry! I'm pretty sure it works too because this pork was so tender! Finally use a knife to slice the pork in cute even little slices; I felt so fancy LOL.

This was my finished product. You can set it on a pretty plate and garnish it with something green or add a veggie option! I just snapped this quick pick on a cheap plastic plate because I was starving and not trying to impress haha, but I am pretty impressed still.

This was so simple to do! I literally have no training so if I can do it so can you!. It's a pretty healthy option and it tasted delicious! Let me know in the comments if you try this out and feel free to leave a picture in the comments to! Also, feel free to ask any questions you may have and I will answer them to the best of my abilities!

Check back to see more yummy recipes and, if you enjoy dessert after dinner, check out my cupcake recipes!

Until next time, happy cooking!