I don’t make a lot of dishes with separate components. You know the standard, meat, vegetable and a side. We’re big fans of “glorp” as Ross calls it (his words – not mine). Glorp is basically a pile of food, covered in sauce. All the components (protein, veggies and grains) are in one dish. Glorpy meals include, but are of course not limited to: stir fries, casseroles, soups, and crock pot meals. That being said, sometimes it is nice to make something that feels like “fancy people food” (also Ross’s words). This dish is super simple, but I do agree, it feels a little fancy.

I stumbled upon the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Preserves last week and was immediately drawn to how simple it seemed to prepare while still looking impressive. I was right – easy and yummy. I’ve never really cooked with Herbs de Provence before, but they work beautifully in this recipe. The best part is you get to feel like a refined and classy person sprinkling your French herbs. Nice.

I switched up the preserves with apple butter since pork and apples just makes sense this time of year. Plus we were fresh off a trip to the orchard on Saturday so I had plenty of apples at my disposal. I whipped up a batch of my Apple Butter (so good) and mixed it with a little balsamic vinegar for some zing. I served the pork with simple roasted butternut squash and brussel sprouts, but I bet it would be delicious with mashed potatoes.

I definitely recommend this recipe for a night when you want something a little special (and a little fancy) but don’t want the extra fuss. Plus, you get to say Herbs de Provence in your best French accent all day.

Herbed Pork Loin with Balsamic Apple Butter
*Serves 4 *Based on this recipe

Ingredients
2 pork tenderloins
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. Herbs De Provence (dried)
1/4 cup apple butter
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. water

1.) Preheat the oven to 425*F. Liberally season the pork loin with salt and pepper then rub in the Herbs de Provence. I crushed the herbs a bit in a mortar and pestle to release their flavor. Place the meat in an oven safe pan and bake until no longer pink. The loin I used was on the thicker side so I baked it for 20 minutes, if yours is thinner go for 15 minutes.

2.) While the meat is in the oven, combine the apple butter, balsamic vinegar, water and pinches of salt and pepper. Warm in a small pan and add more water if needed to reach a thinnish sauce consistency.

3.) Take the meat out of the oven and rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slide and top with the sauce.