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Pork Tenderloin with Apples & Sage

The Harvest Roast

Pork, apples and sage: the autumn pairing of the old orchard farms. A lean tenderloin is seared, then roasted on a bed of apples and onions, and the pan is turned into a quick cider glaze.

Protein-forward
Prep15 min
Cook25 min
Total40 min
Yield4 plates

At the table: Covered on the warm platter, up to 30 minutes. Slice just before serving so it stays juicy.

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  1. As written: seared, roasted and glazed in one pan.

  2. Brine the pork 1 hour first (4 cups water, 3 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon honey), and mount the glaze with a spoon of cold butter off the heat.

  3. Make your own cider reduction: simmer 3 cups of fresh-pressed cider down to ¾ cup with a cinnamon stick, and stuff the tenderloin with sage, garlic and chopped dried apple.

  4. Plate it for the high table: medallions fanned over braised greens, apples glazed in the pan until amber, crisp-fried sage leaves and the glaze in a warm jug.

Cooking at Hearth. The dish as written. Simple, honest, done well.

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Hero sheet

Why nowPork tenderloin is one of the leanest cuts in the butcher's case, and this whole dinner is done in about 40 minutes.

Pork Tenderloin with Apples & Sage
Illustration generated with AI, not a photo of this recipe.

Ingredients

4

As written: 4 plates.

Kosher salt means Diamond Crystal. With Morton kosher salt, use about half.

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Pat the pork dry and rub it all over with the salt, pepper and chopped sage.

  2. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork on all sides, about 6 minutes in all. Move it to a plate.

    Look forGolden brown all over. It's still raw inside, and that's fine.

  3. Add the apples, onion and whole sage leaves to the skillet and stir for 2 minutes. Set the pork on top and roast 12 to 16 minutes.

    Look for145°F in the thickest part of the pork on an instant-read thermometer.

  4. Move the pork to a board to rest 5 minutes and the apples to a bowl. The skillet handle is very hot: put an oven mitt over it. Set the skillet over medium heat, add the cider mixture and simmer 3 to 4 minutes.

    Look forReduced by about half and syrupy.

  5. Slice the pork, and spoon the apples, onions and glaze over it.

Make ahead

Best straight from the oven. Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge. Slice and warm them gently in the glaze until steaming hot.

Holding

Covered on the warm platter, up to 30 minutes. Slice just before serving so it stays juicy.

Allergens

None of the major allergens as written. Always check labels on packaged ingredients.

Notes

145°F with a 3-minute rest is the safe temperature for whole cuts of pork. The middle will be faintly pink, and that's how it should be.

Pears work instead of apples, and the glaze is just as good.

Tavern Night

This dish's twist table (d6)

1–2The classic stands. No twist. Cook it as written.
3Herb swap. Swap the sage for rosemary or thyme
4Acid strike. A spoon of grainy mustard in the glaze
5Plating challenge. Serve on a bed of braised greens or over barley
6Host's boon. The Host picks any twist above, or the table invents one. The safety rule still applies.

Roll before you start cooking. No twist ever changes a time, a temperature or how done something must be.