Roasted Pork Loin with Red Potatoes & Asparagus
1 pan, walk away, and come back to dinner
I used to be intimidated by things like pork loin. I thought it would be one of those needy meats that required a lot of advance prep and oven babysitting. Turns out I was wrong— pork loin is one of the easiest things you will ever make, especially if you have one of these bad boys:
If you don’t have an oven-safe digital thermometer, get one ASAP! It alerts you as soon as your desired temperature is reached, resulting in perfect meat and way less oven-checking (aren’t we all tired of watching our ovens like a hawk, taking things in and out to check temp, and over- or under-doing it most of the time?) So get one, and you can thank me the next time you pull out a perfect piece of meat from the oven! (And it will help you with fish too!)
So, now that we’ve solved that annoying problem forever, let me tell you about this pork loin.
It’s easy— you just make a dry rub out of a few dried herbs and spices, sprinkle it on the pork (no, you don’t actually have to rub it or even touch it), and throw it in the oven.
Pork loin is pretty much the perfect thing to make because it’s a nice and juicy cut of meat— it will NOT come out dry like those terrible pork chops you might remember from your childhood— and it bakes right on a sheet pan next to whatever else you’re having. I find that roasted potatoes are an excellent side for this dish— they’re flavorful on their own and don’t require gravy or what have you (though you will have some lovely pan juices from the pork, FYI!), plus they require the same cook time. And the asparagus takes 10-12 minutes right at the end of cooking (just toss them on a separate tray and slide them in alongside the pork/potatoes!)
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Roasted Pork Loin with Red Potatoes & Asparagus
Cook time: 40 minutes (10 minutes active time)
Serves: 6
For Dietary Restrictions
Gluten free: this meal is gluten-free
Dairy free: this meal is dairy-free
Kids Can Help
Wash asparagus and snap off tough ends; wash potatoes; mix spice blend
Ingredients
Two 1-2 lb pork loins (about 2.5 total)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
1 lb asparagus
2 lb red potatoes
Fresh chives or rosemary (optional)
For the spice blend:½ tsp ground thyme
1 tsp each garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, paprika, and kosher salt
2 tsp sugar
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Step 2
Wash and dry the potatoes. Slice in half, then cut the halves into 1-inch chunks. Toss with 1 tsp minced fresh rosemary or chives, 1 Tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp salt, then spread on a baking sheet in a single layer, covering ⅔ of the sheet.
Step 3
Make the spice blend by mixing all ingredients until well blended.
Step 4
Drain the pork loins of their juices and pat dry with a paper towel. Set on the remaining third of the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and turn to coat. Sprinkle with the spice blend (you’ll use all of it), turning the pieces until all sides are covered.
Step 5
Bake for about 30 minutes until potatoes are tender and pork reaches an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees.
Step 6
Meanwhile, wash the asparagus and snap off the ends. (Snap off each piece individually by bending it backwards–it will naturally break where the tough end starts. Or, save time by just whacking off the entire bottom section (about 2-3 inches or so) with a knife.
Step 7
Spread the asparagus on a second baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with ¼ tsp of salt. Place the tray in the oven when there are 10-15 minutes of cook time remaining (so everything will be ready at once) and bake until bright green on top and slightly browning on the undersides. Serve immediately!