Autumn pork fillet with swede mash
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
For the pork:
- 1kg pork fillet
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon rapeseed oil
- 10 sage leaves, chopped
For the swede mash:
- 1/2 swede, peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 Maris piper potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 teaspoons of soft butter
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Timings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
Autumn pork fillet with swede mash
Hands up if you have a sage plant in the garden and never know what to do with the leaves? Sage is quite a strong herb which lends itself best to Autumn and Winter cooking. Think of pairing it up with mustards, red wine, mushrooms, celeriac, Parma Ham, pork and potatoes. It’s also great as a mucus buster if you have a cold. Try adding a large handful into a pot of hot water to help free up those sinuses! Swede mash is healthier than normal potato mash as I’ve replaced half of the starchy carbohydrates with root vegetables. I was worried that my children might not like it but they loved it! Even better with a drizzle of truffle oil if you have some.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180/350/gas 4. In a small bowl, combine the mustard, chopped sage, rapeseed oil, a pinch of salt and a good grind of freshly ground pepper.
On a board, lay out the pork fillets and massage the mustard mix in to the pork (if you don’t like touching the meat you can use a pastry brush instead). Place the pork fillets in a roasting tray and roast for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the swede mash by placing the swede and potatoes in a saucepan covered with water. Bring to the boil and boil for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Drain and add in the butter, milk, a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Mash well with a masher followed by a fork to get rid of as many lumps as possible and create a lovely smooth texture.
When your pork is ready, take it out of the oven and leave it to rest for 3 minutes. You can tell when it is cooked by squeezing the middle of the flesh with your thumb and first finger. It should feel springy. If it gives too easily then put it back in the oven for a further 3 minutes.Ā Using a sharp knife, slice the pork on the diagonal and lay over the swede mash. Drizzle over the juices from the tray and enjoy.
I love this with grainy mustard on the side (clearly I’m a mustard fan!), and a full bowl of purple sprouting broccoli.
DOWNLOAD OR PRINT RECIPE HERE.
If you aren’t familiar with it, pork fillet is a quick cut of pork to cook with, and you can change up it’s identity easily by changing it’s marinade, rub or sauce. Here the mustard and sage work well to create an Autumn vibe, and as you cook it for less than 30 minutes it stays nice and tender. It’s worth noting that when you slice through the pork you may see some pinkish juices and meat. Don’t be alarmed… this is correct and it’s not undercooked! Have a look at the texture of the meat itself. If it pulls apart ever so slightly then it is cooked. If there is a fleshy part in the middle which doesn’t pull apart then pop it back in the oven for another couple of minutes.”Ā
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