Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Brandy and Peppercorn Sauce

Autumn seems to have hit with a real thud in the UK this year and there’s nothing better than some good, old-fashioned, soul-warming and hearty food to welcome us back into the colder months. This roasted pork tenderloin with spinach and mushroom filling and luxurious brandy and peppercorn sauce recipe is a variation on the classic British roast dinner, whilst still maintaining the core essentials (meat, roast potatoes, veg and gravy!) to give that ultimate Sunday satisfaction.

There are some delicious seasonal vegetables also available at this time of year, so pop into your greengrocer to see what’s on offer and choose your favourites for this dish.

This recipe serves two people with a very hearty portion – simply multiply the ingredients accordingly for a larger party. Cooking time is approx. 1 hour from start to finish.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Brandy and Peppercorn Sauce – what you need:

For the Roasted Pork Tenderloin:

1x Pork Tenderloin/fillet of Pork (ask your butcher) – trimmed of any excess fat and sinew.

1x small bag of baby leaf spinach finely chopped or 4x chunks of frozen chopped spinach.

1/2 medium sized onion – finely chopped.

4x medium sized mushrooms – sliced.

1x tablespoon cream cheese.

50g or approx. 2oz salted butter.

Olive oil.

Sea salt and black pepper.

Tin foil.

Oven dish/tray and large frying pan.

For the Brandy and Peppercorn Sauce:

50g or approx. 2oz salted butter.

2x tablespoons plain flour.

1x teaspoon Dijon mustard.

1/2 pint semi-skimmed milk.

1/2 tablespoon Brandy.

2x teaspoons whole black, red or green peppercorns.

Small saucepan.

For the Roast Potatoes:

I have a great, easy to follow recipe for ultimate roast potatoes available here:

Epic (healthy-ish) Roast Potato Recipe

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Brandy and Peppercorn Sauce – what you need to do:

1. Ensure your roast potatoes are prepared and in the oven according to your chosen recipe/method. Everything else can be cooked whilst the potatoes are cooking, as follows:

2. To make the spinach and mushroom filling. Firstly get the large frying pan onto a medium heat and add 25g/1oz butter, a drizzle of olive oil followed by the chopped onions. Cook for 1-2 minutes until they start to soften then add the sliced mushrooms and cook for a further 1-2 minutes followed by the spinach then the cream cheese and stir. Cook for approx. 5 minutes until soft and season to taste. Remove from heat once cooked.

3. Whilst the filling is cooking, flatten the pork tenderloin so it can hold the filling when rolled – using a large, sharp knife, make an incision all along the length of the bottom part of the meat then slowly and carefully keep cutting whilst rolling the top of the meat backwards until flat – be careful not to cut right through the meat. If the meat is too think once cut, simply cover with cling film and gently bash with a rolling pin to flatten.

4. Lightly season the pork then place the filling all along the longest side of the flattened meat and roll into a tube shape – be careful not to add too much filling as it will spill out and the pork won’t roll properly. Place the rolled pork onto a large sheet of foil and wrap/roll into a firm parcel, folded over at each end. Place the wrapped meat onto a baking dish/tray and into the oven at 200°C/180°C fan for 30 minutes.

5. To make the Brandy and Peppercorn sauce. Whilst the meat is cooking, put the small saucepan onto a medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted turn the heat to low and add the plain flour and mix thoroughly until a thick, smooth paste has formed and the flour has cooked off. Add 1x teaspoon of Dijon mustard and stir. Now gradually add the milk, stirring continuously until all the lumps are gone and a thick soup consistency has been reached – you may need more or less milk depending on the texture of the paste in the beginning. Finally add the brandy and peppercorns and sea salt to taste, adding more brandy/peppercorns to suit. Cook gently for a further 5 minutes then remove from heat until ready to serve.

6. Once the meat is cooked, remove from oven and leave to rest whilst still wrapped in the foil and in the same dish/tray to allow the juices to come out – you may need to open one end of the foil slightly to allow the juices to come out into the tray. Add the juices to the brandy and peppercorn sauce and stir.

7. Whilst the meat is resting, prepare and cook your chosen vegetables. Here I have simply used buttered carrots and greens.

8. Approx. 10 minutes from the end, remove the meat from the foil (it should hold its shape) and tie 3 pieces of string around to secure in middle and each end. Put the large frying pan onto a medium high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Brown all sides of the pork in the pan, remove from heat then add the remaining 25g/1oz butter and baste the meat to give it a lovely sheen. Remove from pan together with all juices.

9. Reheat the brandy and peppercorn sauce, carve the roasted pork tenderloin and serve the potatoes/vegetables. I like to serve the sauce in a separate jug to avoid drowning the pork – it’s also perfect for dipping the roast potatoes!

Enjoy!

I hope you like this Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Brandy and Peppercorn Sauce recipe. As always, your feedback is most welcome so please comment below or get in touch at thefoodbeaver.com or through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.