CK's Kitchen: Christmas dinner in January

After surviving a COVID-19 Christmas at our house that derailed all holiday celebrations for me, I'm finally at 100 percent and was ready to reconnect with my favorite people and exchange gifts. Even though it was many days into January, I was still wrapping gifts at the last minute, which shows it's me and nothing to do with a time crunch. For this festivity, my best friend of more than 45 years was coming over to share dinner, drinks and presents with me and my daughter. This garlic-Dijon roasted pork sounded like a lovely dinner for us carnivores to share. My vegan kiddo made pasta, but she did steal quite a few potatoes from the pan as we waited for the meat to rest after coming out of the oven. But more on that in a few. Food forward Aside from regular servings of bacon, I forget about pork. But it's lean, low-calorie, filling and easy to prepare, especially roasting tenderloins. You just want to have a good meat thermometer to make sure your pork reaches a doneness of at least 145 degrees. I grabbed a 6-pound pack of what looked like two tenderloins (it ended up being two packs of two) from Costco for about $16. Red potatoes, green beans and rosemary were easy enough to find at Trader Joe's, along with some extra Dijon — because you can never have enough of this perfect white wine-based mustard. It felt fitting to enjoy pork for our January celebration as its consumption on New Year's Day is said to bring prosperity and progress because pigs move forward as they eat, unlike chickens or turkeys who move backward. Fire dinner Meal prep only really involved chopping rosemary, mincing garlic and cutting the green beans and potatoes — simple, simple. The pork marinates in the garlic-Dijon sauce while the veggies cook. I would definitely double the amount of green beans when I make it again; extra potatoes wouldn't hurt either. The staged recipe involves multiple prep bowls but only one pan, which always makes me happy. The pork cooked to 160 degrees after 35 total minutes in the oven and being flipped once. I forgot to tent the pork while it rested because I was busy opening presents! That probably caused it to dry out a bit in retrospect, but it was still seriously delicious. The seasoned potatoes are the superstars of this dish, amazing in flavor and crisp from cooking with the pork. In fact, my daughter kept sneaking pieces out of the pan and while I was starting to feel territorial, I resisted the urge to slap her hand. My best friend said it best: "Girl, this is a fire dinner!" Make this dish as soon as possible! Contact Chrissy Kadleck at ckadleck@sbcglobal.net. Garlic-Dijon Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes and Green Beans Pork Olive oil spray 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard ½ teaspoon olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced ½ tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary ¾ teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1½ pork tenderloin 1 pound baby gold or red potatoes (about 12), quartered 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil ½ tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary ½ teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 4 ounces green beans, cut into thirds (about 1 cup) 1. For the pork: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish or large oval casserole with oil. 2. In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste. Place the tenderloin in the bowl, turning to coat all sides evenly. 3. For the vegetables: In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the rosemary, garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon of the salt, and pepper to taste. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. In the same bowl, toss the green beans with the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Transfer to the dish with the potatoes. 4. Roast the vegetables, tossing halfway through, for 30 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, stir the vegetables, and push them to the sides to make room in the center for the pork. 5. Put the pork in the baking dish and roast for 15 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, flip the pork, and stir the vegetables. Roast until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees to 145 degrees for medium, and the potatoes are browned and fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. 6. Transfer the pork to a cutting board, tent it with foil, and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice the pork into 8 medallions, spoon the pan drippings over the pork and serve with the potatoes and green beans. Serves 4 Nutrition Facts: Per Serving 2 slices and about 2/3 cup vegetables; Calories: 335; Fat: 9.5 grams (Saturated fat: 2 grams); Cholesterol: 111 milligrams; Carbohydrate: 21 grams; Fiber: 3 grams; Protein: 39 grams; Sugars: 2 grams; Sodium: 746 milligrams. SOURCE: Skinnytaste: One & Done cookbook