91Èȱ¬

Herb-crusted pork fillet with apple and mustard Puy lentils

An average of 5.0 out of 5 stars from 4 ratings
Prepare
less than 30 mins
Cook
10 to 30 mins
Serve
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • pork fillet: 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú pork fillet (tenderloin)

For the herb crust

  • thyme: 1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • rosemary: 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • oregano: 1 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
  • garlic: 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • olive oil: 2 tbsp olive oil
  • honey: 1 tsp honey

For the lentils

  • butter: 50g/2oz butter
  • red onion: 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • apple: 1 eating apple, peeled and finely chopped
  • Puy lentils: 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú Puy lentils, freshly cooked
  • cider: 150ml/5fl oz farmhouse cider
  • honey: 1 tbsp honey
  • wholegrain mustard: 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • parsley: 1 tbsp flatleaf parsley
  • butter: 25g/1oz butter
  • mashed potato: 200g/7oz creamy, well-seasoned mashed potato, to serve

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/390F/Gas 6.

  2. To make the herb crust, mix together the herbs, garlic, olive oil and honey. Roll the pork fillet in the mixture to coat well.

  3. Heat a pan until it's red-hot. Add the herb-crusted pork and sear for one minute on each side. Transfer to the oven and cook for a further ten minutes. Remove the pork and leave to rest for at least five minutes before serving.

  4. In a clean pan, heat the butter until it foams. Add the onion and apple and cook them together for two minutes. Add the lentils and cider, and give them a few seconds of cooking time before you add the honey and mustard. Let the lentils warm for 2-3 minutes, then season and add the parsley. The idea is to leave enough 'cidery' liquid in the lentils to provide a sauce.

  5. At the last minute, stir in the butter to thicken the sauce.

  6. Carve the pork into 1cm (0.5in) thick chunks. Lay the pork slices onto the mash and spoon the lentils and liquor all around.

How-to videos