Pan-Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Take the pork out of the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. Peel, core, and dice the apple, then top it with a splash of apple cider vinegar to prevent browning. Cut the Brussels sprouts in half. Cut the bacon into small pieces. Peel and mince the garlic and shallot. Pick the thyme and parsley leaves off the stem, then roughly chop just the thyme leaves.

When the water comes to a boil, add the spaetzle; cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), cook the bacon on medium-high heat for 6 to 7 minutes, or until browned and crispy, stirring occasionally. With a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the Brussels sprouts and apple to the still-hot bacon fat and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat thoroughly, adding a little more olive oil if the pan is too dry. Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet and wipe out the pan. Roast the Brussels sprouts and apple in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes, or until browned and caramelized, then transfer to a bowl.

While the Brussels sprouts and apple roast, cook the pork. Season the pork with salt and pepper on all sides. In the same pan used for the Brussels sprouts, heat about 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium until hot. Add the pork and cook 8 to 10 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. (Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil to help the pork cook through faster.) Transfer the pork to a plate, leaving any juices in the pan. Loosely cover the plate with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Rinse the spaetzle once more to loosen it. Add the butter to the pan used for the pork. Cook on medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bubbles subside and the butter smells nutty, stirring frequently. As soon as the butter becomes light amber brown, add the garlic, shallot, and thyme and cook 5 to 10 seconds, or until combined. Add the spaetzle. Season with salt and pepper and cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until the spaetzle is browned and crispy, stirring occasionally and scraping the spaetzle off the bottom as necessary. Remove from the heat and stir in any juices on the plate from resting the pork.

Add the crispy bacon, apple cider vinegar, and a drizzle of olive oil to the roasted Brussels sprouts and apple. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roughly chop half the parsley leaves and add them to the Brussels sprout mixture, stirring to combine. Find the grain, or lines in the muscle of the cooked pork and slice the meat crosswise against the grain into ½-inch-thick pieces. Divide the spaetzle and Brussels sprout mixture between 2 plates. Place the pork slices on top of the spaetzle. Garnish with the remaining parsley leaves. Enjoy!