Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Apples, Dates and Potatoes
Another recipe! Check. Me. Out.
I think I may be getting the handle on this whole Tumblr thing!
So! Let me stop patting myself on the back and get to the recipe!
This is one of my most favourite meals. It’s so easy to make and so delicious. Plus, being in Dubai has really helped with the date selection for this!
A few side notes before we get started --
This recipe is totally Whole30 approved! How great is that?! However, if you do find that you have a bit of a sugar addiction and are having problems with this whilst committed to Whole30, I would NOT suggest this recipe. The dates are quite sweet and it could bring back the sugar cravings for you. So you might want to save this until your Whole30 has been completed!
I handle potatoes well. Some people cannot tolerate potatoes, or nightshades all together. For this recipe you can replace the potatoes with sweet potatoes (cut into relatively thick rounds) or just omit potatoes all together and serve with a side of mashed sweet potato/celeriac/carrot & parsnip... The options are endless!
I only use pasture-raised, hormone-free, super clean pork. This means that the meat is not only healthy and happy, but the taste is incredible! Factory farmed, cruelly-treated, grain-fed, meat is so bland and tasteless, not to mention a complete waste of money. I understand money is tight for a lot of people and everyone wants to get the biggest bang for their buck. I can assure you (from a Nutritionist’s professional standpoint) that buying clean meat is more important than buying organic meat and/or organic fruits and veggies. Now, that is a HUGE generalization, but for the most part it is true (I will do a whole other post on this later. I promise!).
The moral of this story is that organic meat does not mean that it has been fairly treated, pasture-raised, free-range, cage-free, etc., it means that it has eaten organic food and feed. That’s it.
So, try your best to choose clean, fairly treated, hormone-and-chemical-free meats. It will make a world of difference!
Without further ado, here it is! I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do... It’s definitely a staple in my household!
Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Apples, Dates and Potatoes
2 1lb. Pork tenderloins (pasture-raised, hormone-and-chemical-free)
10 Slices of bacon (Smoked, pasture-raised, hormone-and-chemical-free)
1 tbsp. Fat of choice (I like rendered lard, ghee or coconut oil)
2 Small onions, peeled and cut into quarters
2 Apples, peeled, cored and cut into quarters (I like Golden Delicious or Fuji)
12 Baby potatoes, unpeeled
12 Medjool dates, pitted (Premium dates from Saudi Arabia are great, too!)
4 Cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup fresh pressed apple juice
Sprinkle the tenderloins with some salt and pepper (a pinch of each, for each tenderloin. I like Pink Himalayan Salt).
Wrap 5 slices of bacon around each tenderloin.
(You can secure the bacon with toothpicks, if necessary, and then tie kitchen string around the bacon-wrapped tenderloins to secure, and remove the toothpicks. I don’t do this, but if your bacon won’t stay in place, this is the way forward).
Preheat your oven to 350F (177C) and begin to heat your fat of choice in a large ovenproof pan over medium-high heat.
Add the tenderloins and cook until browned on all sides, turning often. This should take about 12 minutes.
Transfer pork out of the pan and add the onions and apples; sauté until golden. This should take about 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes, dates, garlic, cinnamon, and cumin; stir 1 minute.
Return the tenderloins to the centre of the pan. Add apple juice and water, and bring to a boil.
Once the pan has reached a steady boil, cover and place in the oven. Roast until tenderloins are cooked through and potatoes are tender. This should take about 30 minutes.
Once the tenderloins are cooked through, remove the string from around the pork. Slice on the diagonal, and divide apples, dates, potatoes and tenderloin evenly amongst plates. Don't forget the pan juices, either! Yummmmm!
Voila! Dinner is served. xxx
