Name: Honey-Sesame Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Scallion Salad
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 pounds pork tenderloins (total weight), 2 total loins; 1/2 cup honey; 1/2 cup cider vinegar; 2 tablespoons additional cider vinegar; 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced thin; 1 jalapeño chile, seeded and sliced thin; 8 scallions, sliced thin on bias

Why This Recipe Works

Mild pork lends itself perfectly to sweet and sour flavors. For our Honey-Sesame Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Scallion Salad recipe, we used similarly-size tenderloins for even cooking and left the seeds in a jalapeño chile for an extra kick.

Instructions

Toast sesame seeds in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer sesame seeds to small bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Cook tenderloins until browned on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add honey and 1/2 cup vinegar, and cook, turning tenderloins to coat, until mixture is syrupy and instant-read thermometer inserted in center of tenderloin registers 145 degrees, about 10 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Set skillet with honey mixture aside.

Combine cucumber, jalapeño, scallions, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, and 2 teaspoons sesame seeds in bowl. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Cut pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices, transfer to platter, drizzle with reserved honey mixture, and sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds. Serve with scallion salad.