Accounting for Taste

So simple, with minimal ingredients, using only one sheet pan, but packs a lot of flavor. Do I have your interest now? Here, fruit, vegetables, and pork tenderloin all roast on one pan for this hands-off dinner recipe. The sweet, wine-y flavor of grapes intensifies while roasting, a perfect pairing for the natural sweetness of pork.

I tweaked the recipe a tad by purchasing already-prepped butternut squash. I mean, who really likes peeling those things? Plus, the original directions had you buy a 2-pound squash, peel it, but only use half of it. Save yourself time and aggravation and buy it already cubed.

In addition, the original amount of grapes was 1 cup. If you try to measure 1 cup of whole grapes, it doesn’t amount to many. Therefore, I changed the quantity to 8 ounces, which ended up being a perfect amount.

During the last step of roasting, make sure to check the meat after 10 minutes. I waited the full 15 minutes and our pork was a little more done than we prefer. After resting and slicing, pour any accumulated juices back over the meat.

Herb-Rubbed Pork with Squash and Grapes

Servings: 3-4
Time: 40 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

2 tsp. dried herbs, such as thyme, oregano, basil, and/or rosemary
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1, 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin
1 lb. butternut squash, already peeled and cut in 1- to 2-inch pieces
1/2 red onion, cut into wedges
2 Tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. seedless red grapes

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.
In a small bowl combine herbs, chili powder, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Rub all over pork.
Place pork on one side of prepared pan. Add squash and onion on other side of pan; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Drizzle pork, squash, and onion with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Roast 15 minutes.
Stir squash and onion; add grapes. Roast 10 to 15 minutes more until pork is done (145°F). Remove pork to a moated cutting board, tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
Turn off the oven and leave the veggies in to keep warm while meat rests.