Monday: Orange Ginger Pork with Roasted Potatoes

I love the flavour of this pork; potatoes balance it well but a nice brown rice would also complement. I have found a lot of orange-included meals tend to be over-sweet, that is not the case here. If anything, I would watch your pork peppering, it can get a little spicy.

You will need:

1 c orange juice
1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 shallots, minced very finely
2 Tbsp ginger, peeled and minced - about 2 inches or so
2 garlic cloves, minced (sensing a theme?)
1\4 to 1 tsp red pepper chili flakes
1 1\2 c chicken stock, divided
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 - 1 lb pork tenderloins
Salt, pepper
1 Tbsp butter

1 lb red potatoes, mini or you-chop
1 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt, pepper, dried thyme leaves, oregano

Not pictured: garlic. It is like Where's Waldo every time!

Obviously not a whole pound, although it is a big fella

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. I've done these potatoes on here, but now have greatly scaled back the amount of olive oil used, from 1\4 c to 1 Tbsp. Olive oil is good for our hearts, but we probably shouldn't bathe in it. Cut your mini-potatoes in half or chop your bigguns into bite-sized pieces.

Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle on the seasonings, stir with a spatula (of course!) and throw in your warmed oven. I usually use parchment paper, but I am lazy today. Or maybe I just feel like scrubbing a pan later, who really knows? Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring with your spatula every 15.

You can also use already-cooked potatoes, as in microwaved or left over from the night before, just adjust your cooking time accordingly. 15 minutes is long enough to get a nice crunchy brown crust. Now I'm making myself hungry.

Now you can start the pork! To prep your pork, trim off all of the silverskin and fat; then slice each tenderloin into 2-inch-thick pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Go half this thick

Then, set aside two tablespoons of the orange juice, stir in the cornstarch.

Heat the oil in heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the shallots, ginger and chili flakes and cook until the shallots are almost golden, a couple of minutes. Add in the garlic, just one more minute!

Add in the rest of the orange juice, 1\2 c chicken stock and the soy sauce, bring to a boil. Turn down and let simmer until it reduces enough for a spoon to leave a trail across the middle of it.

Add in the cornstarch mixture and let boil for another minute. Set aside and keep warm. Heat the butter in a non-stick frying pan, brown the pork in batches and set aside to keep warm.

Deglaze the non-stick saucepan with 1\2 c chicken stock, scrape all that amazing flavour into the sauce saucepan and warm through. Add up to another 1\2 c chicken stock to get the consistency you like.

I separated this into 6 servings at 215 calories per serving; added in some broccoli and the roasted potatoes at 140 calories and we are all good!

Enjoy!