Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes for your Valentine

Our Valentine's meal was a success! Z ate all of 3 out of 4 things on his plate. Said he liked it-- if he had ordered it at a restaurant he would get it again. SCORE. Actually, I thought it was pretty darn tasty too... but the best part of the entire meal might be the anticipation from the way the house smells when you are roasting things with fresh herbs and garlic... oh my goodness, it was to die for. :)

Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin
1 (4-pound) boneless pork loin (fat still on)
sea salt
fresh cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh italian parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Place the pork loin on a board and drizzle olive oil over the top, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Rub mustard over entire piece of meat, including fat and ends. Mince garlic and fresh herbs together and roll the meat in herb mixture (make sure it is nice and covered with the herb-y goodness!) Place the meat on a rack in a roasting pan.
Roast the pork for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 425 degrees F and roast for an additional half hour. Test for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F, remove the roast from the oven. (may require up to an additional 1/2 hour, my oven tends to be on the hot side.) Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes before carving. (It will continue to cook while it rests.) Slice and serve with...

Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes
1 head of garlic
salt/pepper
1 tblspoon olive oil
4-5 good sized Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed clean
4 tblsp butter
1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut the top 1/3 of your garlic head off (so the head is still in tact but you can see the tops of each clove. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a pan (TIP: especially if you are roasting more than one at a time... muffin tins are the perfect size and keep garlic from rolling and sliding around!) and roast in oven for 10-15 mins. (keep an eye on it, when the cloves are very soft and the tops are golden brown. Let cool and then squeeze cloves out of shell/husk/peel/paper/whatever you call that stuff around garlic.
Cut potatoes in chunks and cover with water to boil, season water liberally with salt. Boil until potatoes are still slightly firm, but easy to smash with a fork. Drain and place in a bowl with butter, cream, and roasted garlic cloves... then use your preferred method of smashing (Sasses use an electric mixer, because we are impatient). Mix well, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Share with your honey and ENJOY!