Lemon Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes

Ingredients

• 700g pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp garlic‑infused oil
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 700g new potatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 60g rocket
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• Apple and fennel slaw, to serve
• Steamed greens, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional). In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic-infused oil, Dijon, maple syrup, chopped rosemary, 1 tsp salt and the black pepper into a glossy, fragrant marinade — bloom the smoked paprika for the potatoes briefly in the olive oil in a separate bowl, stirring for 30 seconds until it smells properly smoky rather than dusty.
2. Sit the pork in a shallow dish, pour over the marinade and turn to coat every surface. Season the tenderloin with an extra pinch of salt and pepper before it hits the pan, and leave at room temperature for 10 minutes while the potatoes get going.
3. Toss the halved new potatoes with the bloomed paprika oil and a pinch of salt. Spread cut-side down on a baking tray in a single layer — crowd them and they steam instead of crisping. Roast for 25–30 minutes, until bronzed and crackling at the edges and tender right through when pierced.
4. Heat a heavy ovenproof stainless or cast-iron frying pan over medium-high until it shimmers. Lift the pork from its marinade (keep the marinade back) and pat the surface dry — water means steam, and steam means no browning. Sear on all sides for 2–3 minutes total in a single layer, no crowding, until deeply golden and a proper crust has formed.
5. Slide the pan into the oven and roast for 15–18 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer at the thickest point reads 63–65°C. Pull it now — the residual heat carries it up to a tender, just-pink 65–68°C as it rests.
6. Move the pork to a board and tent loosely for 8–10 minutes. Pour the reserved marinade into the hot pan, scrape up the stuck bits with a splash of water, and let it bubble for 60 seconds — it needs to cook through properly since it touched raw pork. Tip into a small jug along with any board juices.
7. Taste the pan juices — most of the salt is already there from the marinade, but adjust now, not at the table. Add a final squeeze of lemon to lift it. Dress the rocket with the chopped chives and a light drizzle of the warm juices.
8. Slice the pork into thick rounds across the grain. Plate the pork over the smoky paprika potatoes, pile the chive-flecked rocket alongside, spoon the pan juices over the meat, and tuck a lemon wedge in for squeezing at the table.