For an easy and delicious meal with little cleanup, a sheet pan is your best friend.
When we bake or roast food on a sheet pan, we expose the foods to dry heat. Placed in the center of an oven, the food cooks from bottom to top and from top to bottom. Roasting means we heat a solid piece of food, like a chicken, as opposed to baking a batter, which changes its shape when heated. Whether baking or roasting, we are placing just one sheet pan in the center of the oven and enjoying super-delicious, easy meals as a result.
Single-pan roasting/baking is my new favorite cooking method. The lack of ceremony and technique might seem pedestrian. I say “So what?” I know my friends and family just need good food on a busy Tuesday night, and they don’t want to buy expensive boxed meals that arrives in six layers of bubble wrap and thermal bags. Let’s give the landfill a rest.
There is nothing fussy about tossing things together and putting them in the oven. It’s so easy! The fun in this process is finding new items to add and pair together.
Pork tenderloin can sometimes be a challenge. I have been told that I tend to overcook pork, which causes it to dry out. My daughter tasted this bacon-wrapped (moisture problem solved!) version and was amazed. “Mom!” she said, “You made delicious pork! You did it!” It is so rich and perfectly paired with apples and sweet potatoes that I would proudly serve this one to Saturday night company. Try placing each serving of Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin, Sweet Potatoes and Apples in a big, fancy bowl, and garnish it with fresh sage.
