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By Sarah Condley

Columnist

As most of you know, I’m an avid recipe reader and collector. When I started writing this column, I intended to stop collecting recipes and start preparing those I’d been saving for years. Well, I started preparing some of those collected recipes, and I enjoy sharing my successes and failures with you; but I never really stopped clipping recipes – I guess you might call it an obsession.

To be organized, I file each type of recipe in its own file. One day as I thumbed through my “other meat file” (one folder is devoted entirely to chicken, and this one contains recipes for pork and beef), I found an article that I’d torn from the 2007 issue of Southern Living Magazine. I’m sure the thing that caught my eye was the title of the article in that magazine, “Six-Ingredient Entrees.” When I tore that recipe from the magazine, I was working outside the home and typically wanted to fix something for supper that wouldn’t require being in the kitchen all night.

After reviewing the four recipes that made up that article, I knew I wanted to try the Dijon Pork Loin. Myrtle Jonson of Metter, Georgia had submitted the recipe.

We had all of the ingredients called for in the recipe and all I had to do was thaw the pork loin for the next day’s evening meal.

Early in the afternoon the next day, I turned on the oven to preheat and started looking through a big drawer holding my cookie sheet pans, skillet lids, pizza rack, etc., hoping to find a broiler pan. I don’t remember using one, but I was sure one came with our oven, and if I still had it, it would be in the bottom of that drawer. Sure enough, after removing everything from the drawer, that pan was right where I thought it might be. Now that that issue was solved, it was time to prepare the pork for roasting. First, I lined the broiler pan with foil, and, hopefully, for easy cleanup, I covered the broiler pan rack with aluminum foil and cut slits in it for the juice to run into the pan beneath.

I combined the first four ingredients listed in the recipe, which was very simple. Next, I trimmed some of the fat off the pork loin and rubbed the mustard mixture all over it. I set the pork loin on the pan and put it in the oven, setting the timer for 20 minutes. When the buzzer sounded, I reduced the oven heat to 350 and reset the timer for 55 minutes. Remember, we like our pork well done, so I figured the longer cooking time was just what I needed; for well-done pork, the internal temperature should be 170 degrees. At about the 40-minute mark, I looked in on the pork, and it was browning nicely. I didn’t want it to over-brown, so I opened the oven door, tented the pork with aluminum foil, shut the oven door and waited.

When the timer sounded for the second time, I inserted a meat thermometer into the middle of the pork loin and the internal temperature only registered 150 degrees. So, I set the timer for an additional ten minutes. This time after checking the meat’s temperature it was around 165, so I removed the meat from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. I rechecked the temperature, and it was a perfect 170 degrees, and we were ready to eat.

Brad and I sat down at the table; he blessed the food and thanked God for the many blessings He bestows on us, and after amen, we were ready to fill our plates and eat.

I usually wait until after Brad has taken a couple of bites of meat before I ask him what he thinks, and this night was no different. While he chewed, I took a few bites and thought it was pretty good. After swallowing, Brad agreed. The only complaint we had was that the mustard rub’s great flavor was just on the outside and we didn’t get that with every bite.

The recipe mentions a couple of optional garnishes for this recipe, but I did not include either of them. I’m not really sure what the purpose would be. So, for me, this was only a five-ingredient entrée – and oh so simple to prepare.

I have to say this is a definite “Nailed it,” and it will be added to my self-made cookbook. If you try this recipe, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

By the way, I will be taking a little break from writing but will be back at it in a few weeks.

Dijon Pork Loin

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons steak seasoning

• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup butter, melted

• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed

• Garnishes: fresh basil leaves, cherry tomatoes

Instructions

• Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl.  Rub mustard mixture evenly over roast.  Place roast on an aluminum foil lined broiler pan.

• Bake at 475 degrees for 20 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 155 degrees.  Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes or until thermometer reaches 160 degrees before slicing.  Garnish if desired.