This month, “Marilena’s Kitchen” celebrates its three-year anniversary! When I published my first recipe, back in January 2015, I thought for sure that only my family and a few close friends would ever be interested in reading my posts. Three years and 222 blog posts later, this small blog has reached readers in every corner of the world – more than I could have ever possibly imagined!
A big “thank you” to each and every one of you for allowing me to show up in your inbox every week, for reading my posts, visiting my site, and trying my recipes. I am very grateful for your support, your feedback, and your encouragement – it is what motivates me to continue with my research for the perfect recipe, cooking, testing, styling, and photographing new dishes every week. Many new recipes for 2018 are already in the works and are in different stages of testing. Watch your inboxes as they will be headed your way in the coming weeks!
Fresh Herb Beef Tenderloin
Today I am sharing a recipe for a fresh herb beef tenderloin – the perfect Sunday roast and one we often make for Christmas in my family. Beef tenderloin is the most tender cut of meat and roasting it is the easiest way to prepare it. A nice rub of fresh herbs and garlic will create a savory crust and impart a lot of flavor to the roast. Brown it on all sides in a skillet and then roast it in the oven until medium-rare. Serve the roast with some mashed potatoes and these amazing balsamic roasted red onions.
What to serve it the Fresh Herb Beef Tenderloin
This fresh herb beef tenderloin can be served with mashed potatoes, your favorite roasted vegetables, or these delicious scalloped potatoes!
- For the tenderloin:
- 2½ lb. beef tenderloin (center part if possible), trimmed and tied
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- --- sea salt & freshly ground pepper
- 3-4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ TBSP. minced fresh thyme
- 1½ TBSP. minced fresh rosemary
- 3 TBSP. Dijon mustard
- For the balsamic Onions:
- 2 lbs. medium-size red onions
- 2 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
- --- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 TBSP. butter
- 1½ TBSP. sugar
- 3 TBSP. balsamic vinegar
- ½ TBSP. fresh parsley, minced
- For the tenderloin:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Dry well the beef tenderloin with paper towels and rub it with 1 TBSP. of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle generously with sea salt and pepper.
- Heat one large nonstick skillet over high heat (the size should be large enough to hold the tenderloin.) Add the beef tenderloin and brown on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and place in a roasting pan.
- In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the minced garlic, one tablespoon each of thyme and rosemary. Coat the top and the sides of the tenderloin evenly with Dijon mustard. Then rub the herb mixture on evenly.
- Put on the middle rack in the oven and roast for about 45 minutes. The meat thermometer inserted into the center of the tenderloin should register 125°F for medium-rare. If you prefer it medium-done, cook it a little longer until the temperature registers at 135°F. (An instant-read thermometer (like thermapen) makes this easy.)
- Transfer the tenderloin to a serving platter, cover loosely with foil and let it stand for at least 10 minutes. To serve, slice it thinly, sprinkle with the remaining ½ tablespoon each of thyme and rosemary and serve with balsamic roasted onions on the side.
- For the balsamic onions:
- Position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with heavy-duty foil.
- Peel and cut the red onions through root end into ¾-inch-thick wedges. Place in a medium bowl and toss with the olive oil. Arrange onions, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast until nice and brown, turning once, about 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the balsamic vinegar. Return to the heat and simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. (The balsamic glaze can be made 1 day ahead).
- To serve, arrange the onions on a platter. Drizzle the glaze over the onions and sprinkle with the minced parsley.
-- Recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit magazine.
-- You can also serve the tenderloin with a simple horseradish sauce on the side, like the one pictured above. To make the sauce, mix together:
3 TBSP. prepared horseradish
1 cup of crème fraîche
1 tsp. of mustard
½ tsp. of ground white pepper
1 TBSP. of finely minced fresh chives.
Cover, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Here are a few more suggestions for your Sunday family meal, from the blog’s archives:
Greek Roast leg of lamb with lemon and garlic potatoes:
Roast Beef with pan gravy and scalloped potatoes:
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I would love to know what you think – please leave me a comment below!
Happy blogo-versary, Marilena! Looking forward to your 2018 recipes. You make your recipes look and sound uncomplicated and do-able, I really like that!
I’ve never roasted beef tenderloin, might have to try that – I like all the ingredients.
To many more years of blogging!
Thank you so much Kiki, it is so good to know that you read my blog from so far away! I hope you give it a try – it is truly an easy recipe for a comfort Sunday meal!
Hi Marilena,
Looks like a great recipe! Congratulations on three years! That is an accomplishment!
Kathy
This beef tenderloin is such an easy recipe Kathy! Many thanks for all your support and encouragement!
The amount of time, effort, and preparation you put into each and every recipe you post, Marilena, is what keeps your readers coming back for more! Wishing you many more years of excellent blog-posting!
Hi Sara! Thank you so much for your kind words – it means so much to know that you are reading and enjoying my blog posts!
Marilena,
The minute I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I have always been reluctant to prepare a simple, high quality meat dish to guests, because I’ve never had a good, precise recipe and it was always hit-or-miss. But since your recipes are unfailingly accurate, that gave me the confidence to take the plunge. Even though this was a ‘trial run’ and there were just the two of us that evening, I bought a 2 1/2 lb. center cut tenderloin and asked the butcher to trim it well, as you advised. It was a costly, but beautiful piece of meat. I prepared it exactly as your recipe indicated, and it was so very simple! I used a good meat thermometer, as you suggested (my brand new Thermapen, which was a Christmas present) and followed your advice for internal temperature. This meat was fabulous! We could not remember having such a wonderful roast beef! It was melt-in-you-mouth tender, and the flavors were amazing! I will not hesitate now to prepare this for guests. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!! P.S. We ended up having three dinners from this roast (it reheated beautifully, at a low temperature), and several lunch sandwiches as well. So in the end, it was quite cost-efficient!
Your faithful follower, Ratatouille. ?
What a beautiful and thoughtful review of my recipe!Thank you so much Ratatouille, it means a lot coming from such an accomplished cook like you! I am so glad you tried it and that you got to use your brand new Thermapen. It makes all the difference to have an accurate meat thermometer. So happy you enjoyed the tenderloin! ?