If you’re looking for a dish that feels restaurant-worthy without requiring a culinary degree, this pork fillet with leaf potatoes and a muscadel cream sauce delivers beautifully. Tender, perfectly cooked pork meets crisp, golden-edged potatoes, all brought together by a velvety, slightly sweet muscadel cream sauce that adds depth and elegance to every bite. It’s the kind of meal that turns an ordinary evening into something special — impressive enough for guests, yet comforting enough for a cosy night in.
Pork fillet with leaf potatoes & Muscadel cream sauce
Ingredients
- Potatoes
- 15 kg large potatoes
- 180 ml butter or pork fat, melted
- small handful of bay, thyme or rosemary leaves
- salt and pepper
- Sauce
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- sprig of thyme
- butter, for shallow frying
- 60 ml red or white muscadel
- 30 ml brandy (optional)
- 250 ml fresh cream
- 5 - 10 ml corn flour mixed with a little water
- salt and pepper
- Pork
- 2 800 g pork fillets
- olive oil
Instructions
Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Using a sharp knife or a mandolin, slice the potatoes as thinly as possible.
Put the potato slices in a large bowl, pour the fat/butter over and season well with salt and pepper.
Layer the potatoes in small stacks and then put these stacks on their side in an ovenproof dish.
Sprinkle over the bay, thyme, or rosemary leaves and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Sauce
Sauté the onions, garlic and thyme in butter until soft.
Add the muscadel and reduce until slightly thickened.
Add the cream and brandy (if using) and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the cornflour paste and allow sauce to thicken slightly.
Season with salt and pepper, strain (if you prefer) and transfer to a gravy boat.
Pork
Toss the meat in olive oil and season all over with salt and pepper.
Grill, fry or braai the fillets until cooked to your liking.
To serve
Serve the meat sliced in thick medallions with the sauce and the potatoes on the side.
Notes
It's okay to eat pork pink (medium-rare), the same way you would beef or lamb steaks. Pork fillet is naturally low in fat, so be careful not to cook it too dry.
Also See: Quick & easy crispy spiced pork fillet over rice
Quick & easy crispy spiced pork fillet over rice
Recipe and image: SA Pork
