Prepping four pounds of carrots is not a quick job; it will take you about 30 minutes just to get them ready for the oven. That makes this and any roast vegetable, for that matter a perfect weekend candidate. If you’re really on top of your cook90 game, you might put a tray of Roasted Butternut Squash in the oven at the same time.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds large carrots
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons Cumin–Brown Sugar Rub, divided
- 2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
How to Make It
- Set the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat it to 425°F.
- Peel and trim the carrots, then cut each carrot in half crosswise so you have a skinny half and a chubby half. Cut the skinny pieces in half lengthwise, and the chubby pieces into quarters lengthwise. You should have roughly equal-size 3- to 4-inch-long pieces.
- In a large bowl, toss the carrots with the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the spice rub. Divide the carrots between two rimmed baking sheets and arrange in a single layer. (Alternatively, toss the carrots with the oil and spice rub right on the baking sheets.) Roast the carrots, stirring and rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until tender and a little caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes.
- When the carrots have been in the oven for 10 minutes, start on the pork. Rub the tenderloins all over with the remaining 2 tablespoons spice rub. Heat a large, heavy (preferably cast-iron) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil, then sear the tenderloins until browned all over, about 2 minutes per side.
- Remove the carrots from the oven. Place 1 tenderloin on each baking sheet, using a spatula to push the carrots aside to make room (the carrots will have shrunk a little by now, which will help). Return the baking sheets to the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the tenderloins registers 145°F, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the tenderloins to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mustard, and black pepper.
- Serve half of the carrots with the sliced tenderloins, with the mustard-yogurt sauce on the side. Save the remaining carrots for another use, such as the Carrot Flatbread with Ricotta and Pickled Onions.
