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Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Crispy Smashed Potatoes and Glazed Carrots

A hot roast, an herb-and-mustard crust, and a short rest keep pork tenderloin juicy, while crispy potatoes and balanced glazed carrots complete the plate.

Herb-crusted sliced pork tenderloin with crispy smashed potatoes, glazed carrots, and cider Dijon sauce.

This is a coordinated oven dinner built around a useful sequence: potatoes get the longer, hotter roast while pork tenderloin cooks quickly on a separate pan. The drippings then become a bright apple-cider Dijon sauce, and the pork gets its essential rest while the carrots take on a modest honey-thyme glaze.

Build crispness in layers

Parboiling softens the centers of the potatoes, and the brief steam-dry removes surface moisture before they meet the hot, oiled sheet pan. Smash them only after they are tender enough to spread; the ragged edges create more points of contact and become especially crisp in the oven.

Use heat and a thermometer

Pork tenderloin is lean, so the flavorful mustard, garlic, and herb crust benefits from a high-heat roast that browns before the interior overcooks. Check the thickest center and remove it at the stated temperature, then let the roast rest undisturbed so its juices settle before slicing.

Tender potatoes are smashed on an oiled sheet pan with rough edges ready to become crisp. — Tender potatoes are pressed onto a hot oiled sheet pan, ready for their crisp roast.

Keep the carrot glaze light

The carrots get just enough honey to highlight their sweetness, with butter and thyme bringing roundness and savory aroma. A splash of water helps them soften first, then reducing that liquid to a thin sheen prevents the side dish from tasting like dessert.

Make the drippings count

Apple cider and Dijon lift the browned pork drippings into a quick pan sauce with acidity and gentle fruitiness. Finish it off the heat with butter, then spoon it over sliced pork rather than soaking the potatoes, preserving their crackly edges.

Juicy herb-crusted pork slices sit with crisp potato edges, glazed carrots, and glossy cider Dijon sauce. — Juicy sliced pork shows its herb crust beside crisp potato edges and a light cider Dijon sauce.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Crispy Smashed Potatoes and Glazed Carrots

4 servings

75 minutes total

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloins
• 1 lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 lb carrots
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2 tbsp chopped rosemary and thyme
• olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp honey

Method

Heat the oven
Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat to 450 F, placing a rimmed sheet pan on the lower rack to preheat.
Look for: The oven is fully preheated and the empty sheet pan is hot.
Parboil the potatoes
Cover the baby Yukon Gold potatoes with cold salted water, bring to a boil, and simmer until a knife enters with slight resistance; drain well and let the potatoes steam dry.
Look for: A knife reaches the center with slight resistance and the drained potatoes look dry rather than wet.
Make the pork crust
Stir Dijon mustard, finely grated garlic cloves, chopped rosemary, thyme, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil into a coarse herb paste.
Look for: The mustard paste is thick enough to cling to a spoon and evenly flecked with herbs.
Season the pork
Pat the pork tenderloins dry, rub them all over with the herb paste, and set them on a small rimmed pan so the crust stays intact.
Look for: Both pork tenderloins have an even green-flecked mustard coating with no bare patches.
Smash and roast potatoes
Carefully transfer the hot sheet pan to the counter, coat it with 2 tbsp olive oil, add the potatoes, and press each to a rough 1/2-inch thickness; season with kosher salt and roast until deeply crisp at the edges.
Look for: The potatoes have lacy browned edges and release easily from the pan.
Roast the pork
Put the pork tenderloins on the upper rack and roast at 450 F until the thickest center reaches 140 F, then transfer them to a board to rest.
Look for: An instant-read thermometer reaches 140 F in the thickest center without touching the pan.
Glaze the carrots
Cook the carrots in a large skillet with 1 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tbsp honey, a pinch of chopped thyme, kosher salt, and a splash of water until tender and glossy, letting the liquid reduce to a light coating.
Look for: The carrots are tender with a lightly shiny coating, not a puddle of sweet syrup.
Make the cider pan sauce
Pour off all but a thin film of pork drippings from the pork pan, add apple cider and 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, and simmer over medium heat until reduced and lightly syrupy.
Look for: The cider bubbles become smaller and the sauce coats the back of a spoon in a thin layer.
Finish the sauce
Take the reduced cider sauce off the heat and whisk in the remaining 1 tbsp unsalted butter and a few grinds of black pepper until glossy.
Look for: The sauce looks shiny and unified with no butterfat separating around the edge.
Slice and serve
Rest the pork tenderloins for 10 minutes, slice them across the grain, and serve with crispy smashed potatoes, glazed carrots, and the warm apple cider Dijon sauce.
Look for: The pork slices are pale pink and juicy at the center while the potato edges remain crisp.