Sage and Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

This will be the quickest and easiest recipe I’m ever going to post here.

First of all, we can’t take a shred of credit here, as we were told about it – and secondly, there are plenty of variations out there.  But I still wanted to share it because it was a big hit, and it was so easy!  By the way, cooking this recipe to perfection is easiest with one of those instant-read thermometers.

Ingredients

pork tenderloin – make sure you trim it, and be certain to remove the silverskin

salt and pepper – try to use a good sea or kosher salt (on pork, I know, I know) and freshly ground black pepper

fresh sage leaves – we have sage in our garden, but if you buy a small package at the grocery store, it’ll be enough

thinly-sliced prosciutto – please, PLEASE buy the good stuff.  Don’t buy Canadian or American prosciutto – buy Italian prosciutto, Parma-style

 

You might as well pre-heat that oven to 425 degrees already, because your prep will be done in minutes.

Parma prosciutto will come in rectangular slices.  It should have been sliced thinly, pretty much shaved.  If you buy it at a good deli, they’ll lay it flat, and separate the layers with paper.  That way peeling pieces off one by one is simple.  Lay the slices side by side, making sure they slightly overlap and make a prosciutto spread as long as your tenderloin is.

Down the middle of this spread of prosciutto you’ll want to lay a row of the largest sage leaves you have.  Essentially the prosciutto is the cover of the book, and the sage leaves are the spine.  Does that make sense?  After that, season your tenderloin with salt and pepper.  As much as I love salt, you can go easy on it, because the prosciutto will add significant saltiness to the meat during cooking.

Once seasoned, lay the tenderloin across the sage leaves and wrap the prosciutto around the tenderloin.  That’s it!  Put it in a small roasting pan and cook it in the oven at 425 degrees.  The cooking time will definitely vary, because tenderloins come in different thicknesses – the key is obviously to cook it so it’s properly done.  Internal temperature should be 150 degrees Fahrenheit.  Count on the cooking time to be at least 25 minutes.  Once it reaches that temperature, take the tenderloin out of the oven and let it rest for at least 5 minutes, and even up to 10 minutes.

Slice it into medallions (minimum 1/2″ thick) and serve.

The taste is amazing – it is salty, and the sage adds a twist.  Some people will be weird about eating the sage leaves, but you should be adventurous and eat them.  Both our kids loved this dish, and both kids at the sage leaves, the prosciutto and the pork and wanted more.

I’ve seen a couple of slight variations to this recipe since having tried it, but I wouldn’t mess with it.  The only thing I might try next time is to lightly brush the prosciutto with olive oil – I think that would make things interesting but if you keep an eye on things and don’t overcook the tenderloin, it’ll be plenty juicy.

If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, feel free to share it, and feel free to browse our other recipes under the food tab on my blog.