Seared Lamb Tenderloin With Cocoa Spice Rub

Total Time: 25 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seed
• 4 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 4 tablespoons sea salt or 4 tablespoons kosher salt (ok)
• 2 (2 lb) lamb tenderloin
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• 2 in a medium saucepan over medium heat, toast peppercorns and coriander seeds until they begin to pop.
• 3 remove from heat and grind to fine powder in a spice mill or coffee grinder.
• 4 mix the ground pepper and coriander with remaining spices, cocoa and salt.
• 5 trim the lamb tenderloins of fat and silver skin.
• 6 rub with a generous amount of the cocoa spice rub.
• 7 heat the olive oil in a large, ovenproof saute pan over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
• 8 sear each tenderloin on all sides until a rich brown color, about 2 minutes on each side.
• 9 remove tenderloins from heat and finish in the oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked through or until internal temp reads 150 degrees.
• 10 let the tenderloins rest out of the oven for at least 10 minutes before carving.
• 11 extra cocoa spice rub will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 months.