Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salad

Our portions aren't really that big... we just used our smaller appetizer plates tonight which ended up making it look like we have a ton of food!

I'm still in the process of learning how to appreciate hot/spicy foods, so I was a little nervous about making this recipe since a Jamaican Jerk spice was a main ingredient. It turned out great! It wasn't necessarily hot, just had a little bit of a kick to it. The fresh lime juice in the mango salad really complemented the Jamaican Jerk spice and I felt really brought everything together. The mango was delicious! The best bites were the ones when you got some pork, bell pepper and mango all together. Really outstanding sweet and spicy combination!

The potato was something I thought up just before I got started with dinner and decided to add it to the menu. I had seen potatoes cut like that before and thought it was neat, so all I did was preheat the oven to 425°F, cut slices in each potato that almost went all the way through but not quite, drizzled some olive oil and seasoned with the same Jamaican Jerk seasoning I used with the pork and salad. Just bake it in the oven for about 45 minutes!

I modified the recipe slightly. This recipe came from a Pampered Chef cookbook, and I don't have the Pampered Chef Jamaican Jerk Rub, so I just got some Jamaican Jerk spice from the grocery store. I had some pork chops in the freezer, so I used those rather than getting a pork tenderloin. I never used the oven for the pork, as the recipe suggests. I just seasoned the pork chops with the Jamaican Jerk spice and heated some olive oil over low to medium heat in a skillet and cooked the pork chops like that. It took about 8 minutes to cook, 4 minutes on each side. Pretty tasty!

A few notes from the cookbook: 1) For a pleasantly tender texture that complements the mango slices, the bell pepper is first peeled using the Serrated Peeler before slicing into thin strips. Removing the ribs from the pepper gives it a professional, finished looks, 2) To slice a mango, use Utility Knife to cut thin slices from both ends of the fruit. Stand fruit upright, wide end down, on cutting board. Slice off peel from top to bottom. Slice flesh alongside the large, flat pit. Lay mango flesh side down on cutting board and slice into 1/4-in. slices, and 3) Jarred mangoes, found in the refrigerated produce section of most grocery stores, can be substituted for the fresh mangoes, if desired.

A fresh, delicious, easy, light meal! Enjoy!

Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salad
Pampered Chef 29 Minutes to Dinner
Published by The Pampered Chef, Ltd. in 2007.

Total time: 28 minutes  Yield: 4 servings

Pork
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb pork tenderloin
1 tbsp Jamaican Jerk Rub


Mango Salad
2 green onions with tops, divided
1 small red bell pepper
2 large mangoes
1 lime
1 tsp Jamaican Jerk Rub


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. For pork, add oil to (10-in.) Saute Pan; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. As pan heats, trim fat and silver skin from pork tenderloin and cut pork in half crosswise using Boning Knife.
2. Coat pork with jerk rub. Cook 3-5 minutes or until browned on all sides, turning occasionally. Transfer pan to oven and roast 12-15 minutes or until Pocket Thermometer registers 155°F for medium doneness. Carefully remove pan from oven using Oven Mitts; transfer pork to plate. Tent with foil and let stand 5 minutes (temperature will rise to 160°F).
3. As pork roasts, start salad. Thinly slice green onions on a bias using Chef's Knife. Set aside 1 tbsp of the tops for garnish. Place remaining green onions into Classic Batter Bowl. Peel bell pepper using Serrated Peeler. Slice off top and bottom of pepper; discard or reserve for another use. Remove and discard seeds and ribs from sides of pepper; slice into thin julienne strips.
4. To finish salad, peel and slice mangoes. Juice lime using Citrus Press to measure 1 tbsp juice. Add pepper strips, mango slices, lime juice and remaining 1 tsp jerk rub to batter bowl; toss thoroughly.
5. To serve, slice pork crosswise into medallions and serve with salad. Garnish with reserved green onion tops.