"Straw-Sherry" Pork with Brabant Potatoes

This takes a long time and a lot of steps. If you decide to cut corners, you are only hurting yourself. Block off a rainy Sunday and make this right.

Ingredients

Pork:

2 lbs pork tenderloin or boneless pork loin

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 tsp black pepper

2 cups hulled and halved fresh strawberries

1 tsp granulated sugar, plus more to taste

2 tbsp canola oil

1/3 cup finely chopped shallot

3/4 cup sweet cooking sherry 

1 cup stock

5 thyme sprigs

1 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened

Potatoes:

2 russet potatoes, scrubbed, cubed, and boiled

Cooking oil

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, grated

Scallion greens, chopped

2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Cover the cubed potatoes with cold water. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then add olive oil and garlic. Simmer until the garlic is tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Add scallions, and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Allow pork tenderloin to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to cooking. Crush coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle or small heavy skillet until coarsely ground. Add salt, pepper, and crushed coriander to a small bowl, and stir to combine; set aside. Toss strawberries and sugar together in a separate bowl; set aside.

3. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle coriander mixture over pork, pressing lightly to adhere. When the oil is just smoking, add the pork to the skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until pork is browned all over, about 8 minutes. Place strawberries around the browned pork.

4. Transfer skillet to preheated oven. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of pork registers 130°F, about 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200°F. (Do not remove skillet from oven.) Continue to roast pork and strawberries until the thermometer registers 140°F, about 5 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board, reserving strawberries and pan drippings in the skillet. Cover pork loosely with aluminum foil. (Note: add cooking time if using a pork loin. The thicker cut will take longer to cook, but don’t worry about burning the strawberries.)

5. Return skillet to heat over medium-high heat. Add the shallot to pan drippings, and cook, stirring often, until the pan drippings are slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine, and cook, stirring and mashing strawberries with a spoon, until sauce has thickened enough to hold a clean line when a spoon is dragged across the bottom of the pan, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in chicken stock and thyme sprigs, and bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 13 to 17 minutes. 

6. While the sauce is reducing, heat oil for the potatoes in a high-sided pot for frying. Cook potatoes in batches until golden brown, then remove, drain on a paper towel-lined plate, and season with the spice blend. Once all of the potatoes have been fried, toss them with the garlic butter sauce and remaining spice blend.

7. Pour the sauce through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a small saucepan, pressing on the solids to extract the liquid; discard the solids. Melt the remaining butter into the strawberry sauce and stir to combine. Season with salt and sugar to taste. Cut pork into slices, and serve with sauce and potatoes. Optional: Sauté a seasonal leafy green, such as kale or spinach, and serve.