Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches with Onion Relish

This is a super easy recipe for a delicious dinner. I first had it at my Nana's house, and Scott loved it so much I had to get the recipe and make it for him at home. The trick here is marinating the tenderloin, and then using the marinade to make the onion relish...ingenious! The recipe below originally called for 2 pork tenderloins, but I changed it to 1 tenderloin, but it still has the original amount of marinade and relish (the relish is so good I like having double of it!) I think the recipe originally comes from a Tapas cookbook, and is suggested for a buffet, but Scott and I prefer to pile it on a big platter and serve it family style:

Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches with Onion Relish
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
zest* and juice of 1 lemon
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced (Maui, Walla Walla, or Vidalia)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning (or a mixture of dried oregano and thyme)
1 tablespoon coarse ground mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1 dozen small buns (about 2 in. diameter), sliced horizontally

Place the pork tenderloin in a shallow pan. In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice, onions, garlic, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, mustard, oil, salt, and pepper.
Pour over the pork and marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Remove pork from marinade for later use. Place tenderloin in a roasting pan and roast at 350 degrees for 20-30 min., or until internal temp. reaches 155 degrees**.
While the pork is roasting, make the onion relish by pouring the reserved marinade in a saucepan and cooking over low heat for 15-20 min. until the onions are soft.
When the pork is done, cool to room temp. and thinly slice on diagonal. Arrange pork in a concentric circle on a platter, top with onion relish, and serve with buns. Enjoy =)


*If you don't own a microplane, it's about time you get one! This little guy is ideal for zesting lemons, grating nutmeg, and grating hard cheeses like Parmesan...you will never buy pre-grated again!

**If your unsure how long to cook meats without over or undercooking, you should invest in a thermometer. It is the sure-fire way to check for doneness, it's how all the restaurants do it!