Chorizo-stuffed Pork Tenderloin

We love pork tenderloin in our house.  We eat it probably weekly, sometimes more.  We mostly love pork tenderloin because of the source of our pork, Otis Family Farm.  Bob Otis is a great guy and a great farmer, and sadly won't be farming anymore.  It's a long story, not a sad one by any means, just a change for the Otis family.  He, and his pork, and his chicken and his turkey and his eggs, will be sadly missed by us!

Bob's pigs are a cross between Duroc and White pigs.  He says that Duroc are fat but not good mama's.  The White pigs are skinny but are good mama's.  So his cross gives him fat pigs that are good mama's.  At least that's the theory.  All we know is, they are delicious!

This recipe was emailed to me from my friends at Kitchen Daily and seemed worthy of my precious Otis Family pork tenderloins.  I only have five or six left!

Here is a link to the recipe:
Chorizo-stuffed Pork Tenderloin

The recipe called for Spanish Chorizo or salami.  Salami?  Really?  All I could think was Ewwwww.  Spanish chorizo is a "seasoned, fully cooked smoked pork sausage."  We couldn't find that in the grocery store we went to so we bought some Aidell's apple sausage.  We thought it would go nicely with the pork.

The recipe also called for smoked or extra sharp cheese.  I wasn't sure I wanted cheese in my pork but since it was the first time making this, I followed the recipe and used a sharp cheddar cheese.

This was easy to put together.  Mix up some spinach, cheese and the sausage in a bowl and set it aside.  Then mix a little fresh chopped garlic and olive oil in another little bowl and set that aside.  To prepare the pork, butterfly the tenderloin, open it up and pound it to about an 1/8 of an inch thickness.

Spread the filling on the pork, roll it up and secure it with string.

The tenderloin is then seared before it is brushed with the garlic and olive oil mixture and popped in the oven to finish cooking.

As this finishes in the oven you can not only smell the pork, but the garlic roasting all over it.

It is a beautiful dish and pretty tasty as well.  I think I would chop the sausage a bit larger next time.  I found I liked not only the flavor of the sharp cheese but also the creaminess it added to the filling.  And the little pieces of toasted garlic added great flavor and texture. 

I served it with a little farro risotto and we had cherry pie for dessert!