Pork Tenderloin Steaks with Mushroom Sauce

How to make it

1. Cut the pork tenderloin into steaks about 3 cm thick and pat them dry with paper towels. Season them with salt and pepper on both sides. The surface needs to be dry, or the meat will steam instead of browning.
   Chef's tip Cut across the grain and keep them a full 3 cm — thinner steaks overcook in the sauce at the end. Silverskin left on shrinks and curls the steak in the pan.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut the largest ones in half so all the pieces are roughly the same size and become tender at the same time.
3. Put the potatoes in a pot, cover them with cold water, and salt the water well. Bring to a boil covered and cook the potatoes for a total of 25-35 minutes, until a fork slides easily into the center. ⏱ 25 min–35 min · passive
4. Melt the butter for the steaks in a large skillet over good heat, until it stops foaming. Brown the steaks in two batches, 3-4 minutes per side, until they have an even golden-brown crust. Don't overcrowd the pan, or the meat will release moisture and turn gray.
   Chef's tip Wait until the foaming stops — that hissing is the butter's water boiling off, and the pan can't brown properly until it's gone. Listen for a steady, lively sizzle when the meat lands; a soft, quiet pan means it's too cool.
5. Transfer the browned steaks to a plate and cover them loosely with foil while the sauce comes together. Leave the pan drippings in the skillet.
   Chef's tip Drape the foil loosely — wrap it tight and the steam condenses on the crust and softens the golden surface you just spent eight minutes building.
6. Turn the heat down to medium and melt the butter for the sauce in the pan drippings. Sauté the finely chopped onion for 3-5 minutes, until soft and translucent without taking on color.
7. Turn the heat up to high and cook the sliced mushrooms for 8-10 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated and the slices are golden at the edges. As long as there's liquid in the pan, the mushrooms will boil instead of sauté. ⏱ 8 min–10 min
   Chef's tip Mushrooms are around 90% water and release it all at once; until it has boiled off, the pan sits near 100°C and can't brown. Give them room and wait for the squeak-and-sizzle to turn dry and the edges to gild.
8. Pour in the beef broth. Scrape the browned bits free from the pan with a wooden spoon, until the bottom is clean and the liquid is dark and glossy.
9. Add the heavy cream and let the sauce reduce at a steady simmer for 10-12 minutes, until it has thickened and flows slowly off the spoon. Season with salt and pepper. The broth already adds salt, so taste before adding more. ⏱ 10 min
   Chef's tip Keep it at a gentle simmer with just a few bubbles breaking the surface; if the cream boils hard, the fat can split out into oily eyes on top. The sauce also thickens further as it drops in temperature.
10. Return the steaks to the sauce along with any meat juices that have collected. Let them simmer along for 4-6 minutes, until heated through and cooked through with no pink in the center.
    Chef's tip This is gentle reheating, not cooking — the crust was built in step 4, and a rolling boil now squeezes the meat dry and tough. Keep the sauce barely trembling and pull the steaks as soon as they're hot through.
11. Drain the water from the potatoes and let them steam dry in the hot pot for half a minute, until the surface turns matte and dry.
12. Divide the potatoes among flat plates and place the steaks alongside. Spoon the sauce and mushrooms over the meat and sprinkle the roughly chopped parsley over the potatoes. Put the rest of the sauce in a bowl on the table so everyone can help themselves to more with their potatoes.