It was literally LOVE at first bite with a colorful palette and awesome flavors! This easy pork tenderloin dish takes cues from teriyaki and tastes best if marinated well in advance of cooking. A full night in the fridge is ideal, but plan for an hour at the very least. Now we didn’t realize this ahead of time, so the pork marinated only about 1 1/2 hours, and it was fantastic, so imagine the flavor after many more hours getting happy!

And be sure to pull the tenderloins out of the oven a bit early, since the meat is very lean and will be unpleasantly dry if overcooked. Finally, spoon those lush pan juices over the meat and serve with the accompanying French-style buttered carrots — which were amazing in, and of, themselves. In fact, we would double the amount of carrots to two pounds (keeping the other ingredients the same.)
While we drooled over our first taste, this meal went promptly on our company-worthy list. Selecting the multicolored carrots adds an additional enhancement to the dish; and serving with a side of Melting Sweet Potatoes was brilliant.

The melting potatoes can be made with white or sweet potatoes, with the latter making a perfect accompaniment for this dish. I think we fell in love all over again, at least with this uncomplicated meal… Literally, every bite melted in the mouth, with pleasure…

Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Gingery Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins (about 1¼ lbs. each)
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup mirin
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1 lb. young slender carrots, cut into 2-inch batons
- 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and slivered
- 1 tsp. kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- ½ tsp. crushed red pepper
- Chives or scallions, for garnish









Directions
- Place pork tenderloins in a shallow baking dish. Stir together soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil and cayenne.
- Pour mixture over pork and coat well. Cover and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours, turning occasionally. The longer, the better, if you have the opportunity.
- Bake at 375 degrees until a thermometer registers 130 degrees, about 30 minutes. Pan juices should have thickened and become syrupy — if not, remove the pork and return the pan with sauce to the oven for a few minutes. (Alternatively, transfer to a small saucepan and reduce juices briefly over high heat.) Cover loosely and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Pork tenderloin is very lean, so be careful not to overcook or it will be dry.
- Meanwhile, cook the carrots: Place carrots, butter and ginger in a large skillet or a low, wide saucepan. Add salt and 2 cups water. Cook over high until boiling, then reduce to a brisk simmer and cook, uncovered, until the water has evaporated and carrots are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of crushed red pepper.
- Reheat pork briefly in a low (250-degree) oven, if necessary. Slice ¼-inch thick at an angle and spoon pan juices over. Surround with carrots and shower with snipped chives or scallions.
Recipe by David Tanis for NYTimes Cooking











































