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We love pork loin in our house – it is simple to make and always a hit with my very-fussy kids – and my standby Baked Pork Loin and Potatoes dinner, baked in an irresistible Garlic Herb Butter, is a huge hit every time I make it.
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of contents
How To Make Pork Loin and Potatoes
The most delicious, tender, and juicy pork loin – bursting with garlic and herb butter flavor.
If you love my crazy viral garlic butter pork tenderlion recipe, our Smoked Pork Ribs Recipe, Easy Slow Cooker Pork Steaks Recipe, or our easy baked pork chops – you’re going to flip for this herb butter pork lion that is baked right alongside perfect roasted potatoes – for a main and side dish in just one pan!
Pork Loin and Potatoes Ingredients
To make this dish, we will need the following ingredients:
- 3 lb pork loin: lean, tender main protein that absorbs flavors from the marinade and herbs
- 1 bottle Italian dressing: acidic, herby marinade that tenderizes and brightens the pork
- 6 tbsp butter: adds richness, moisture, and helps develop a golden crust
- 1 tbsp Celtic sea salt and fresh cracked pepper: enhance natural flavor and balance the richness
- 4 pats butter: melt over the pork while roasting to baste and keep it juicy
- 2 tbsp diced garlic: bring pungent, savory aromatic depth
- 1 tsp dried basil: adds a sweet, slightly peppery note
- 1 tsp dried oregano: earthy, robust, slightly bitter flavor
- 1 tsp dried thyme: subtle lemony, minty, woodsy notes that brighten pork
- 1 tsp dried parsley: fresh, grassy lift to lighten richness
- ½ tsp dried sage: earthy, slightly peppery warmth
- or 2 tbsp Italian herb seasoning blend: convenient shortcut for balanced herbal flavor
- 1 lb red and Yukon gold potatoes, halved: hearty starch that roasts in juices, with reds staying creamy and Yukons buttery and tender
- 1 cup diced onion: caramelizes for sweetness and enriches pan drippings
Roasted Pork Loin and Potatoes Recipe Steps
We’re going to use the following method to get the best results:
Marinate & Season
Marinate pork loin overnight or at least 30 minutes. Remove from marinade, pat dry, and season well with salt and pepper.
Sear
Sear pork to brown on all sides.
Bake
Add to pan with potatoes, herbs, and garlic butter. Roast at 350 until pork has reached 145 degrees and potatoes are soft.
Tips and Tricks to Perfect Roasted Pork Loin and Potatoes & FAQs
Since pork loin has little fat, it can become tough very quickly when overcooked – I’m providing my best tips and tricks to keep pork loin moist below:
Make with a pork tenderloin. To make this baked pork loin recipe with a smaller, thinner pork tenderloin, continue with the recipe exactly as called for below, but plan on for 10-30 minutes less cooking time (this will vary wildly depending on your pork tenderloin, I always advocate for cooking off temperature rather than time when cooking meat.)
Marinate. Marinating or brining pork loin before cooking will always help to soften the pork loin and keep it from drying out. I love using a bottle of simple Italian Dressing or a cup of olive oil with some lemon juice, salt, and pepper for an easy overnight pork loin marinade.
Cooked pork can be pink. You’re looking for slightly pink in the middle, as food safety rules have changed and pork no longer needs to be cooked all the way to fully opaque and white in the middle.
Don’t overcook. Pork loin dries out very quickly when overcooked. I often pull my pork loin at 140 degrees and tent it with foil to continue carryover cooking as it rests for about 10 minutes before serving. You can let it rest for up to 15 minutes before serving while you finish up some side dishes, too!
Cook to 145 degrees. Pork is properly cooked at 145 degrees, overcooking will dry out pork.
Check pork temperature as it cooks. Simply check your pork loin’s internal temperature as it bakes, and monitor for doneness, as the cook time can vary.
What Potatoes to Use In This Recipe
- Fingerling potatoes. Wash fingerling potatoes well, and pat dry. You can leave whole or cut in half.
- Russet potatoes. Use 2 russet potatoes. Wash russet potatoes well and pat dry. Cut into 2″ chunks.
- Blue potatoes. Use 8-10 small blue potatoes. Wash well and pat dry, and cut into 2″ chunks.
Pork Loin vs Pork Tenderloin in This Recipe
Pork Loin – I get a lot of questions on this recipe on whether to use pork tenderloin or pork tenderlion. The two cuts of pork are from similar areas (off the back of the pig), and are both leaner and respond to the same cooking methods, but pork tenderloin is much longer and skinnier than a pork loin.
Pork loins tend to be much fatter, much heavier, and over 3 lbs – while a pork tenderloin will be longer, skinnier, and around 1-2 pounds. For this recipe, I am calling for a Pork Loin – but a pork tenderloin will also work!
Recipe FAQs
Pork loin is fully cooked when the internal temperature is 145 degrees.
If your pork has reached 145 degrees internal temperature (measure the fattest part of the loin), it is fully cooked. This may contain a bit of pink – unlike chicken, color isn’t an indicator of doneness.
You can swap pork tenderloin for pork loin – please reduce cook time by 10-15 minutes.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, or frozen for up to four months.
What to Serve With Pork Loin and Potatoes
You can also visit our easy side dishes recipe archives, or our easy dessert archives.
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Garlic Herb Butter Baked Pork Loin and Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bottle Italian dressing, as marinade
- 3 lb pork loin
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp celtic sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
- 4 tbsp butter, sliced into 4-6 pats
- 2 tbsp diced garlic
- 1 tsp dried basil*
- 1 tsp dried oregano*
- 1 tsp dried thyme*
- 1 tsp dried parsley*
- ½ tsp dried sage*
- *OR 2 tbsp Italian Herb Seasoning Blend
- 1 lb red and yukon gold potatoes, halved
- 1 cup diced onion
Instructions
- Marinate pork in Italian dressing, at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove pork from marinade and discard marinade.
- Pat dry and season well with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tbsp butter in a large heavy pan.
- Brown pork loin on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.
- When pork loin has browned, add to roasting pan or baking sheet.
- Melt rest of butter in pan and combine onion, herbs and garlic – heat 30 seconds and remove from heat.
- Wash potatoes well and cut in half. Pat dry.
- Arrange around pork loin in pan.
- Generously season pork and potatoes with herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Drizzle butter and herbs over pork and potatoes. Toss potatoes lightly to coat in herb butter.
- Roast 35-40 minutes, checking temperature after 20 minutes.
- When porks internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before carving.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My potatoes are never done after 30 minutes. Do you find they are with this recipe!
It depends how many you put on there. If you are making a lot of potatoes, you can just roast them in the oven on a separate sheet pan. If you overcrowd the pan they will take longer to cook and won’t get as crispy.
Instead of two types of potatoes we did potatoes beets and carrots
Love that mix-up, beets are so delicious roast and I bet you got a nice colorful meal, glad you enjoyed it!
This was our Thanksgiving meat this year. Simple and delicious! Clean up was easy as well. Thank you for sharing this!