Pork Tenderloin Steaks with Glazed Turnips and Cherry Pepper Relish
By Jessica RudolphPublished on February 11, 2026
Time
50 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Use only purple-top turnips for this recipe; yellow turnips (rutabagas) take longer to cook. Look for smaller turnips, which tend to have a sweeter taste. Buy tenderloins that are of equal size and weight so they cook at the same rate.
Instructions
- Cut 2 trimmed pork tenderloins in half crosswise. Cover with plastic wrap and use meat pounder to pound to even ¾-inch thickness. Pat pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1½ teaspoons table salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Microwave 2 tablespoons cherry pepper brine in small bowl until steaming, about 30 seconds. Add 1 thinly sliced shallot and stir to combine; set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook pork until well browned on both sides and meat registers 135 to 140 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes, flipping every 2 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest.
- Add 2 pounds turnips, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces; ½ cup chicken broth; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; ¼ cup honey; and remaining ½ teaspoon salt to now-empty skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until turnips are tender and liquid reduces to glaze, about 15 minutes. Off heat, stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and any accumulated pork juices. Stir ½ cup chopped jarred hot cherry peppers, ¼ cup chopped parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil into shallot mixture. Season with salt to taste. Slice pork and serve with turnips and pepper relish.
Time
50 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
We dress up seared slabs of pork tenderloin with glossy, glazed turnips and a bracing relish in this hearty weeknight meal. Halving the tenderloins crosswise creates moderately sized steaks that are easy to maneuver, and lightly pounding the pieces makes them easy to sear. For a savory-sweet side, we cook the turnips until velvety in a mixture of broth, butter, and honey that reduces to a syrupy glaze by the time the turnips are done. We warm some of the brine from a jar of hot cherry peppers and use it to lightly pickle a sliced shallot and temper its bite. Stirring chopped hot cherry peppers, parsley, and oil into the shallots and brine creates a bright, punchy accompaniment.
Before You Begin
Use only purple-top turnips for this recipe; yellow turnips (rutabagas) take longer to cook. Look for smaller turnips, which tend to have a sweeter taste. Buy tenderloins that are of equal size and weight so they cook at the same rate.
Instructions
- Cut 2 trimmed pork tenderloins in half crosswise. Cover with plastic wrap and use meat pounder to pound to even ¾-inch thickness. Pat pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1½ teaspoons table salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Microwave 2 tablespoons cherry pepper brine in small bowl until steaming, about 30 seconds. Add 1 thinly sliced shallot and stir to combine; set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook pork until well browned on both sides and meat registers 135 to 140 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes, flipping every 2 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest.
- Add 2 pounds turnips, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces; ½ cup chicken broth; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; ¼ cup honey; and remaining ½ teaspoon salt to now-empty skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until turnips are tender and liquid reduces to glaze, about 15 minutes. Off heat, stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and any accumulated pork juices. Stir ½ cup chopped jarred hot cherry peppers, ¼ cup chopped parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil into shallot mixture. Season with salt to taste. Slice pork and serve with turnips and pepper relish.
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