I can’t ever seem to get enthsiastic about pork fillet. Unlike pork belly, which gets ts moisture and flavour from the fat content in the meat, pork fillet is extremely lean so I tend to find it bland. You also have to take great care not to overcook it as it dries out easily.

However, I also cannot refuse a bargain. So when I saw pork fillets were on offer recently, I thought I’d challenge myself to make a dish with pork fillet that could change my mind.

This recipe has the fillet topped with a mustard crust for flavour and though you still need to be careful with the oven timings, I timed it right this time so it was perfectly cooked. This may be the best pork fillet I’ve ever made. Success!

Serves 4 – Recipe from Olive Magazine

Ingredients

• flat-leaf parsley a small bunch, finely chopped
• panko breadcrumb s 50g
• garlic 2 cloves, 1 crushed
• Dijon mustard 1 tbsp
• pork tenderloin 1 (about 400g), trimmed
• spray olive oil
• carrots 500g, peeled and chopped
• swede 500g chunk, peeled and chopped
• wholegrain mustard 1 tsp
• cooked greens to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Mix the parsley, panko and crushed garlic in a small blender with some seasoning and whizz until you make green crumbs, then tip onto a baking tray. Brush the dijon all over the pork and roll in the crumbs. Spray with oil a few times and cook for 45 minutes or until cooked through. Rest for 10 minutes before carving.
2. Meanwhile cook the carrot and swede in boiling salted water with the remaining garlic clove. Simmer for 30 minutes until soft. Drain well and steam-dry for 1 minute, before pushing through a ricer or mashing very well. Season, add the mustard and stir. Serve with the sliced pork and greens.