Is there anything worse than being sick on Christmas? Well, sure there is...but it still sucks. What was a low-grade cold a week ago has settled into my chest and ears and is not letting go. It's unpleasant. But, at least I can make and eat delicious food.
The pork dish and potato gratin are conglomerations of various recipes I found online (as is my way). I had some baby bella mushrooms I was going to saute and layer in with the potatoes, but I decided to make things easier and skip that. I also baked the gratin in my new present of a convection toaster oven (thanks rob!)...our old one got a permanently stuck temperature dial. If your regular oven is big enough you can probably put all of these in together if you time it right.
We drank Brothers Drake "Ginger Verve" mead with this, which I'd ordered online for xmas gifts (and for me). Also used that in the pork dish. Yum!
This meal serves about 3.
Potato Gratin
- Slice 4 medium potatoes very thinly (I used a mandoline). Grate about 1 cup of Gruyere cheese.
- Butter an 8x8 baking dish. Arrange one layer of potato slices, overlapping. Season generously with salt, pepper and whatever other spices you want (I used Penzey's roasted garlic powder). Top with 1/3 of the cheese.
- Make 2 more layers (including seasoning), but hold back the last third of the cheese.
- Pour about 1 cup of liquid over, which can be heavy cream, half & half, milk or broth. I used a mixture of cream, half & half and broth. Top with the remaining cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about 1 hour. Remove the foil for that last 10 minutes or so (broil if needed to get the top browned).
Pork Tenderloin with Apples & Onions
- Season 1 pork tenderloin all over with salt, pepper and dried thyme. Heat a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add some olive oil and sear the pork on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove the pork to a plate.
- Cut 1 onion in half, and then into large pieces. Add to the pan and stir frequently. Peel 1 apple & cut into chunks. Add apple to pan and saute a few minutes, until tender.
- Deglaze pan with a splash of mead or white wine, then add about 3/4 cup chicken broth (or just use all broth). Scrape up the browned bits.
- Lay pork back on top of onions & apples, and put in a 375 degree onion until it reaches 150 (mine only took about 20 minutes).
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the onions & apples onto a serving platter and lay the pork on top. Put the pan back over medium heat, add about a tablespoon of dijon mustard, and let the liquid boil/reduce for a few minutes (if I'd had more broth I would have added some to make more sauce).
- Slice the pork and spoon the pan sauce over.
The Brussels sprouts are easy - just trim and halve the sprouts, toss with olive oil, salt & pepper, and roast on a baking sheet until browned - about 15 minutes. I had some cooked bacon so I diced a slice and tossed with the cooked sprouts.
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