Like I said, the meal I prepared for them was a roasted pork tenderloin with a rosemary herb-rub, rustic mashed potatoes and shaved asparagus. I ended up deciding it didn’t need a sauce. Partly because I couldn’t decide on a sauce for it and partly because the meat turned out plenty juicy and the taters were not dry at all.

The herb-rub was just minced up rosemary mixed with coarse sea-salt, freshly cracked black pepper and minced garlic. Rosemary is my favorite herb (mint and basil are damn close though) I applied it thoroughly to the tenderloin and it looked like this:

Now before I threw it in the oven I used a quick trick. Before you roast the tenderloin, sear it on a pan first (preferably with butter). This will brown the outside a bit and also create a crust. The seared crust helps keep juices and thus flavor in the meat. It doesn’t take long, either. Just a minute a side or so. After that I threw the pork in the oven. Another neat trick about meat out of the oven is to cover it with a wet cloth or paper towel. The steam can’t escape through the wet cloth and also wont condense on it (science!) so it stays warm and juicy.

I was pretty excited about them taters, too. I got them that morning from the local farmers market. Great red skinned potatoes. I personally prefer my mashed potatoes with red skin and I never remove the skin. The only downside I can see is I can’t do any fancy potato decorations with piping bags. I can’t really get upset about that.  Besides, I prefer mashed potatoes to creamed potatoes. Simple process, too. Give the taters a rough chop to make the bits smaller and throw them in boiling water with some extra salt.  Once they were soft enough I got out a tater-masher (or whatever it’s called for real) and started smashing. A few days prior I had roasted some garlic in olive oil and from that I had the byproduct of garlic infused oil. I poured that in there (I’d guess about a cup of it) along with about a tablespoon or two of milk. The flavor and texture you’ll get out of this amazed me. This was the first time I used an infused oil like that to mash potatoes. I was happy.

The asparagus also came from the farmers market and I knew it would have a really fresh, clean flavor of it’s own so I didn’t want to do much to it at all. I got out a vegetable peeler and shaved off bits (I didn’t use the outer skin because it’s a bit tougher and I think more bitter). Once I had shaved them all I tossed the shaved asparagus with cracked pepper, rice wine vinegar and a bit of olive oil. It kept the fresh taste of the asparagus with a bit of added complexity.

Here’s what it looked like plated up with some really simple presentation:

Some afterthoughts on the dish: I personally think it was too salty. For next time I’m just going to cut back the salt. I’m 100% okay with how the potatoes turned out. I may try lemon juice instead of vinegar next time for the asparagus. Not sure yet. Maybe another garnish. Something red. You eat with your eyes first!

The menu is (about anyway):

Rosemary herb-rubbed pork tenderloin served over rustic mashed potatoes with shaved, braised asparagus. Finished with a reduction of stock and wine. (maybe on the reduction. I may go lazy and just make a velouté sauce.)

I got some locally grown asparagus and red potatoes from the farmers market this morning and the rosemary is from my garden here. This gon’ be tasty.

So anyway, someone come finish this stupid thing for me so I can draw more pictures of dragons.

Me. Words about me. Zac. I’m Zac. Hi.

Once I get into culinary school it will mostly be about food and me making it. It will probably be about people I know. Ladies too. I know ladies. I don’t have to prove that to you.

Anyway. I’m an artist, a cook, a sexual thief and a poorly skilled musician.

I hope we can be mutual friends that like to talk about me on a blog about and hosted by my friends.

-Lord Baltimore/Blake Avalon/Trash Tumbleweed/Dissentor/Zac