Tangy and hearty! I picked up the Seattle Spices – Espresso rub at the Farmer’s Market in downtown Ballard a few weekends ago and the idea for this recipe has been kicking around in my head ever since. Not too bad for a first crack. Substitute a red leaf lettuce salad (with a light balsamic vinegar dressing) for the sauteed carrots to enjoy a lighter meal…
Ingredients:
- Espresso Rub from Seattle Spices.
- 1 lb pork loin
- 6-7 small red potatoes (or about 1 1/2 cups of the potato cut/type of your choice)
- 3/4 medium carrots cut in 1/4s or 1/2s (about 1 cup)
- virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- coarse ground pepper
- sea salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons sweet mustard
- 1-2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
Prep:
Add potatoes, ~2 tablespoons virgin olive oil, paprika, cumin, pinch of salt and pepper to a medium sized bowl. Mix thoroughly or until all potatoes are coated lightly with olive oil. Set aside.
Mix mustard and worcestershire in a small bowl. Set aside, this is the drizzle for the ‘loin when it’s finished.
Set oven on bake @ 425 degrees.
Lay loin on a cutting board. Dust a few tablespoons of the Espresso rub on the loin. Use tongs (or chopsticks!) to rotate the loin and coat the entire loin with the rub.
Cook!:
- Heat a skillet over med-high heat. Test heat by using the Leidenfrost Effect or until a droplet of water skitters across the surface.
- NOTE: This will need to be done very quickly.Sear the loin very quickly. 3-5 seconds on each surface should be sufficient. This will create a 2 mm layer on the entire surface of the loin
- Place seared loin in a flat casserole or pyrex pan. Add potatoes to pan.
- Place pan in the oven and cook for approx 35-40 min (or until internal temperature is about 140-145). Check temperature and stir potatoes. Add an additional 8-10 minutes to the timer.
- On the stovetop, heat medium/small skillet to med-low. When butter is fully melted, add carrots and approx 1 teaspoon Espresso rub. Cook until carrots are tender.
- Remove loin from the oven when internal temperature is ~160 degrees.
Cut loin into medallions, drizzle with mustard-worchetershire mixture. Serve with potatoes and carrots.
Serves 2-4.
