From Iowa with Love

Fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwith with Oven Fries

One side of my family is from Iowa, so there were many trips to the midwest to see relatives when I was growing up.  One of the things I really looked forward to on trips to Iowa was a fried pork tenderloin sandwich.  From the research I did, these sandwiches are really hard to find outside of Iowa, Indiana, parts of Illinois, and Missouri.  There used to be a place in Orlando that sold them, but it is now a Cuban cafe.  Last summer, I took the kids to Iowa to meet some relatives and relax on a farm for a few days.  I had my first tenderloin in close to a decade at the Machine Shed.  It was everything I hoped it would be.  I decided that it was something I could easily make at home and that someday I would try it.  Well, life got really busy and the baby weight from my daughter wasn't coming off very fast (or at all), so I decided to put the tenderloin on hold.  A few weeks ago, there were two episodes of Man vs. Food that showed pork tenderolin sandwiches.  It was time to do some research.  By research, I mean calling my mom since she knows how to make them.  The Indiana version of the recipe uses crushed saltines, but since my mom grew up in Iowa, she just used seasoned flour on them.  She suggested using some panko if I wanted the extra crunch.  Here is the recipe I came up with.  Everyone in my family loved them.  My husband even suggested that I use the leftover tenderloin in the fridge to make more sandwiches.  I decided that we didn't need that kind of meal twice in one week, so I made stir-fry with it instead.  But now that I know just how easy these things are to make, I will defenitely be making them again.

Fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup panko 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 2-inch slice of pork tenderloin for each person
oil for frying
sandwich buns
toppings: lettuce, tomato, pickle, ketchup, etc.

1) Place the pieces of pork between two sheets of plastic wrap, and pound until very thin.  This won't take long at all and they get can be as large as an 8-inch skillet if you use too much meat.
2) Use 3 plates for dipping the pork.  One for the flour, one for the egg, and one for the panko, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and white pepper.
3) Preheat oil in a large, cast-iron skillet.  Use about 1/2 inch of oil.
4) Dip the pork in the flour, egg, and then coat well with the panko mixture.
5) Fry for about 4 minutes on each side, or until brown.
6) Top bun and toppings of your choice.  My mom and I only use ketchup and pickles.