The problem I have with most lemon-pepper seasoning blends is that they are mostly salt and preservatives.
For example, Lawry's Lemon Pepper Seasoning ingredients list reads: black pepper, salt, modified food starch, citric acid, lemon peel, sugar, garlic, onion, natural flavor, riboflavin.
McCormick's Perfect Pinch Lemon & Pepper seasoning: salt, black pepper, citric acid, onion, sugar, garlic, calcium stearate, silicon dioxide, calcium silicate, celery seed, lemon oil and FD&C yellow 5 lake.
Even the salt-free ones contain more "other" ingredients than lemon and pepper.
The ingredients on Mrs. Dash, for example: onion, spices (black pepper, basil, oregano, celery seed, bay, savory, thyme, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, mustard, rosemary, marjoram), garlic, lemon juice powder, carrot, citric acid, lemon peel, turmeric color, chili pepper.
Though not as convenient, I've found using fresh lemons and freshly ground black pepper produces a superior flavor without all the extras.
Here, pork tenderloin and new potatoes are roasted together on the same baking sheet. Add some green beans or asparagus, and dinner is done.
Roasted Lemon Pork and Garlic Potatoes
1 small pork tenderloin, trimmed of any visible fat
Garlic-flavored olive oil (I used the oil saved from last week's Cooked Forever Cauliflower recipe)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 lemon, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 pound baby or fingerling red or gold potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place tenderloin in the center of a heavy rimmed baking sheet or shallow roasting pan. Drizzle pork with a bit of garlic-flavored olive oil and season with a little coarse salt and a lot of ground black pepper. Lay the lemon slices, overlapping slightly, over the pork.
In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with enough oil to coat and season generously with salt and pepper. Arrange potatoes in a single layer around the pork.
Roast 25 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown and pork reaches an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees. (Pork cooked to 145 degrees and allowed to rest for 5 minutes is safe to eat, but may have a slightly translucent, pink center. I prefer the texture and color of pork cooked to 150 to 155 degrees.) Let pork rest 5 minutes before slicing.
Serve with potatoes.
Makes 2 to 4 servings.
Food on 04/20/2016