Pork tenderloin with beet sauce

I got the idea for this recipe by thinking of things to do with beets from our garden besides simply roasting them (a far superior method to boiling) or putting them in a salad. The potato “pancakes” are a standard in Scandinavian cooking, although they’re also known in other cultures as rösti and latkes.

Pork tenderloin, 1- 1½ lb, trimmed of fat and silver skin

Prosciutto, several thin slices

Rosemary, dried, crushed, 1 tsp

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Beets, 5 or 6 medium

Shallots, 2-3

Sour cream, 2 Tbs

Salt and pepper

Russet/baking potatoes, 2

butter and olive oil

Salt and pepper

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Salt and pepper the tenderloin and wrap the prosciutto slices around it. Use toothpicks to assure they stay attached during the cooking process. 

3. Heat a non-stick skillet (or spray non-stick stuff on a skillet that isn’t) over fairly high heat. Toss in the rosemary, and sear the tenderloin - actually the prosciutto - until it begins to brown.

4. To finish cooking it, place in the oven for ten minutes or so. Don’t overcook pork.Trichina worms are from the distant past. The meat should be a bit pink inside.

5. Peel and dice the beets. Chop the shallots and combine with the beets. Add salt and pepper and roast in a 400 oven for around 30 minutes. The beets should be soft.

6. Place them in a food processor and puree. Place in a saucepan and heat gently with 2 tablespoons - or your preference - of sour cream and the salt and pepper.

7. Peel and grate the potatoes. Squeeze them to remove as much moisture as possible. Add salt and pepper and mix.

8. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the grated potatoes to form five or six pancakes. Flatten them and make sure they don’t overlap. (The pan may not be large enough to accommodate the five or so pancakes, so heat an oven or toaster oven to 220, and put the finished pancakes on a cookie sheet to keep them warm.) Flip them when the underside is brown and continue cooking. 

9. Remove the pork from the oven, allow to rest for 4 or 5 minutes. Remove the toothpicks unless you want to have some fun with your guests. Slice the meat into 1 or 1½ inch slices. Put them on plates.

10. Spoon the beet sauce on one side, and place one or two potato pancakes on the other, and serve.