Not only is this a faster way to porchetta, courtesy of bon appétit, the Accidental Locavore thinks the case could be made for it being a lower fat version, too. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying — remember, bacon makes everything better! Serves 2 with enough for a sandwich the next day. If you have the time, it’s nice to let the pork marinate in the fridge with the herb rub, but not necessary.
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped; plus 2 heads, halved crosswise
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary, plus 4 sprigs
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, coarsely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 ½ pounds)
- 4-5 slices bacon
- 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed and partially cooked (optional)
Preheat oven to 425°. Toss chopped garlic, chopped rosemary, fennel seeds, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over tenderloin.
Scatter rosemary sprigs in a large baking dish and set tenderloin on top. Wrap bacon slices around tenderloin, tucking ends underneath so bacon stays put.
Nestle halved heads of garlic around tenderloin and drizzle everything with remaining tablespoon of oil. Roast 40—45 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of tenderloin registers 145°. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with potatoes and roasted garlic and enjoy!
My verdict: This is one of those great easy dishes that looks and tastes great! I didn’t have any rosemary when I decided to make this so I used some fresh sage and roasted the pork on a few of the sage stems. If I did it again with sage, I would probably cut the amount of chopped to a scant tablespoon as the sage is probably a stronger flavor than rosemary. I think if you tied the bacon to the tenderloin, this would probably work really well on the grill or rotisserie. I threw some partially cooked potatoes to roast with the pork and they were a good addition. Not sure about the need for the garlic, since the pork cooks pretty quickly (35 minutes with the convection roast on), the garlic heads really didn’t have enough time to get golden and soft. This is definitely something I’ll make again (and again).
