Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Cheddar Chive Mash & Brandy Cream Sauce

Serves 2

Takes 1 hour 30 minutes

Tenderloin is a very lean cut of meat and has the tendency to be a little dry. However, using this method of stuffing and covering with bacon, it keeps the meat wonderfully moist and tender. The mix of garlicky soft cheese and sweet prunes really compliments the subtle taste of pork. The cream brandy sauce offers a note of decadence and pairs beautifully with the buttery mashed potato. A real treat for two on a cold winters evening.

1. Preheat your oven to 180C.
2. With a sharp knife, cut down the tenderloin length ways to butterfly it open. Don’t cut all the way through as you want to stuff it.
3. Spready liberally with the cream cheese and top with the prunes. Carefully roll it up and wrap the streaky bacon around it, securing with the cocktail sticks.
4. Place on a foiled baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil, pop in the oven for 40 minutes to roast.
5. While the pork is cooking, you can make the mash, place the quartered potatoes into a pot of well-salted boiling water and cook for 15 minutes until tender.
6. Drain and place back in the warm pot.
7. Add all of the ingredients for the mash and using a fork or masher, blend until lovely and smooth. Set aside on the lowest heat of your hob to keep warm.
8. Remove the pork from the oven and transfer onto a board and cover with foil, allow to rest for 15 minutes whilst you make the cream brandy sauce.
9. In a frying pan, add the knob of butter and melt down on a medium heat, add in the shallots, sweat down until they have softened and are smelling fragrant.
10. Add in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, pour in the brandy and turn up the heat to allow the alcohol to cook off for approx. 6 minutes.
11. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil, turn the heat back down to medium and allow to blip away for 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
12. Finally pour in the cream and stir through to combine, season with salt and pepper to taste at this stage.
13. Allow the sauce to thicken to your liking then remove from the heat.
14. Place a generous dollop of mash onto both plates, carve up the stuffed tenderloin into thick rounds and sit along with the potato. Spoon over the creamy sauce and finish with a final flourish of chives (optional). Enjoy!

• Olive oil
• 1 whole pork tenderloin
• 6 rashers of streaky bacon
• 100g garlic cream cheese (we used Boursin)
• 10 dried and pitted prunes
• Cocktail sticks to, to help secure

For the Cheddar & Chive Mash:

• 3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 50g butter
• 100ml double cream
• 100g grated cheddar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• Handful of chives, finely chopped

For the Cream Brandy Sauce:

• Knob of butter
• 3 shallots, finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 175ml brandy
• 400ml chicken stock
• 100ml double cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper