Fall weather means cool air, changing leaves, football, and good food. Most people clean that grill off and throw the cover on it for the winter and don't think twice about it. Fall in Northern Nevada is a great time to keep that grill out and cook some truly great food.
When you are outdoors in the fall time, you can smell wood fires burning. What better way to add to that then firing up the grill. People primarily use two kinds of grills: gas or charcoal. Personally, I use charcoal for the flavor and, for a little added taste, I throw applewood chips on top of the charcoal for a truly great taste. You can purchase bags of applewood chips from your local Lowes or Home Depot.
One of my favorite recipes for fall-time grilling is pork tenderloin. I accompany that with a prosciutto and potato hash, apple compote, and a simple amaretto sauce.
For the pork, all you need is a pork tenderloin that is between 8-12 ounces. The tenderloin comes pre-packaged and cleaned. All you need to do is season all sides of the pork with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic salt. When your grill is nice and hot, begin cooking the pork tenderloin, making sure to turn it so it doesn't burn.
Pork Tenderloin
1 each pork tenderloin (8-12oz)
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic salt
While your pork tenderloin is cooking, it's a great time to get your hash cooking. In a large saute pan heat olive oil, then saute onions and garlic until they are light and translucent. Add in prosciutto and potatoes, and turn heat down to medium.
Continue cooking slowly, until the prosciutto has rendered down, and the potatoes are cooked all the way through. Add in salt, pepper, and herbs. Add any additional seasoning you feel it needs.
Prosciutto & Potato Hash
3 tablespoon olive oil
16 ounce red bliss potatoes, small dice
8 ounces prosciutto, small dice
1 cup onion, minced
1⁄4 cup garlic, minced
1 tablespoon thyme, fresh
1 tablespoon rosemary, fresh
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
While your hash is cooking, you can start cooking the apple compote. Don't forget to keep turning your pork tenderloin. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. The apple compote is very easy to prepare and cook. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Take the mixture and place it into a 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap, and tin foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes, and stir occasionally. The apples should be soft in texture, and have a rich wholesome aroma.
Apple Compote
4 apples, diced
1⁄2 cup golden raisins, diced
1⁄2 cup dried apricots, diced
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon nutmeg
2 tablespoon turmeric
1 cup amaretto
By this time your pork tenderloin should almost be finished cooking. Your hash should be finishing up, and your compote should fill the air with wonderful aromas. The last part of the dish is the simple amaretto sauce. Place brown sugar in a small saucepan, and begin caramelizing the sugar. When the sugar begins to render, add in the vinegar, cider, vanilla, and amaretto. Bring the sauce to a low simmer and whisk in the honey, reduce the heat and keep it warm. This sauce will make an excellent accompaniment for the pork.
Amaretto Sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1⁄2 cup cider Vinegar
1 cup apple cider
1⁄4 cup amaretto
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup honey
When the pork is ready, simply pull off the grill and place on a cutting board to let rest for a minute or two then slice the pork. Place the hash on a plate, add the sliced pork and cover with the apple compote. When you have everything on the plate, sauce the pork and compote with the amaretto sauce. The last thing is to sit and relax, and enjoy a wonderful meal.
The Fall really is a great time to keep your grills fired up. So throw on some charcoal or crank up the gas and get those tongs out, watch some football and have some fun!!
• Chef Nicholas DeMagistris is chef at the Carson Nugget.