grilled pork tenderloin with sauteed greens and mashed potatoes

i love trader joe's. why? because it's a wonderland of simplicity and inspiration. a typical supermarket is inundated with too many ingredients. and while the brevity of selection is good, i get bombarded with so many choices i have a harder time focusing on the meal at hand, glancing this way and that, thinking oh, that'd be good with this or how about that. i also find that i already know what i'm getting before i step foot into safeway or albertsons.

however, a trip to TJ's is full of unknowns because you never know what's in stock that week. they seem to change their shelves regularly, not drastically, but just enough to keep me guessing and on the lookout for what's new. and this is why i head into TJ's with a open mind and blank list; it facilitates creativity by keeping it simple. there's typically only 1 brand to choose from so you can focus on what will go with what vs how much you save with the generic brand and whether or not you should get that family sized chicken broth for $1 more. the emphasis is on the food and what you're going to eat, not how much you'll save.

this evening's trip to TJ's, the first of the new year, was quick and simple. i walked in, grabbed a bag of southern greens (they have a great pre-washed/mixed bag for $2.19, worth 6 servings) and walked to the meat section. i noticed small packages of cubed pancetta, a new item for me, and pork tenderloins for $2.99/lb. i've never cooked pork tenderloin before, but paula dean made it look so easy on tv last week i decided, what the hay! the pancetta would be great as a bacon substitute for the greens so i grabbed that as well. i knew i had potatoes, onions and garlic at home so i strolled around the aisles looking for other staples like milk and cereal.

once home, i threw the a pot of cold water on the stove, added some salt and added 3 potatoes peeled and chunked. i also tossed 1/2 the box of pancetta into a large pan and got it going over med heat. 1 small diced onion followed and i browned that up to a golden hue. i then added the greens in batches and seasoned along the way.

while that was going, i fired up my gas bbq on the porch and mixed up an asian marinade, courtesy of ted allen's creative juices. this was 2 T soy sauce, 1 t sesame oil, 1 t honey, 1 t sirracha, and i threw in some evoo. i omitted 2 t of sake/sherry since i didn't have any. grabbed my trusty digital thermometer and ran downstairs. slapped the tenderloin on the grill, brushed it with marinade, and let it grill for 4 min. flipped it over and brushed for another 4 min, then set the loin over a cooler part of the grill and closed the lid until the thermometer beeped 140*.

during that time i mashed the drained potatoes with some butter and added warm milk until i got the consistency i wanted. a dash of salt and pepper and that was ready to go (about 2 large servings). the greens were also ready to go.

i let the loin rest for 5 min

then sliced and plated it with some potatoes and greens.

mmm.

the pork was very tender and surprisingly well seasoned given i had no marinade time. there was a slight sweetness to it (from the honey) and i think the sake would've added another layer of flavor to the meat. but it was quite good. the potatoes came out nice and creamy. it's great when you've practiced something so often you can do it with your eyes closed. the greens were fantastic. slightly bitter, off set by the savory sweetness of pancetta and caramelized onions. and i have leftovers for 2 more meals!

all in all, a great turnout for my first home cooked dinner of the new year and it cost less than $10 total. this bodes well for the wednesday nite dinners to come... ;) happy 2007!!