Strawberry Pork Tenderloin

This was originally a grilled or sauteed pork chop recipe from the Taste of Home Test Kitchen that I have tweaked. I used tenderloin instead because I am not a bone-in person, and then decided on oven-roasting to keep it tender and juicy. Do not skip the searing step. It really locks in the juices. The flavor on these is absolutely amazing. So tender, and the flavors of the sauce combine beautifully.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  pork tenderloin
• 2  teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed, to taste
• 1  teaspoon pepper (to taste)
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3  tablespoons margarine or 3  tablespoons butter
• 1 1⁄2 cups  raspberry vinaigrette dressing
• 4  tablespoons  chopped green onions
• 2  tablespoons brown sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2  cups  sliced fresh strawberries, 1/4 inch slices

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine the vinaigrette, onion, brown sugar, paprika and Worcestershire sauce; set aside.
3. Rinse the tenderloin, and prick on all sides with a fork. Season liberally on all sides with salt, pepper, and crushed rosemary, rubbing all spices into the meat very well.
4. Set a roasting pan over two burners on your stove, where you will get a nice even heat, add olive-oil and margarine, and bring to medium-high temperature.
5. Next, carefully place your tenderloin into the roasting pan. The reason for doing this is to sear the outside of the tenderloin so that when you roast it in the oven it stays nice and moist. So you'll want to sear it on all "sides" for about a minute each (rotating it with a pair of tongs), including the two ends.
6. Turn heat down to medium and add the vinaigrette mixture, turning meat to coat thoroughly in sauce. Once meat is coated, and sauce has darkened in color (but not burnt), remove from heat. Spoon about 1/2 of the pan juices/sauce into a small saucepan and reserve.
7. Put the roasting pan with the tenderloin and 1/2 of the sauce into the oven. Cook about an hour and a half, basting in sauce every 20 minutes or so. I also placed a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven to give added moisture.
8. Once the tenderloin is in the oven, add strawberries to reserved sauce and stir to coat the berries. After about an hour and fifteen minutes you can start checking on the tenderloin. Poking it with your finger should feel somewhat springy, and a sharp knife inserted to the middle should run clear juices. An hour and a half should give you a perfect, moist roast.
9. Pull the tenderloin out of the oven and allow it to rest for about five minutes. Meanwhile, put the saucepan with the berries on the stove on low heat, and warm through. Once the meat has rested, transfer to a serving platter, slice, and pour warm sauce with berries over to serve.