Beef Tenderloin...

My go to entrée when I am having a few friends in for dinner is a beef tenderloin. It can also be the star of the buffet menu for your holiday cocktail party. It's delicious whether served hot, at room temperature, or cold. Thinly sliced, it can serve a great many people. Even though a whole beef tenderloin is expensive, it is worth it for a special occasion.
Go to your local butcher and ask him to dress the tenderloin. That way you are cooking all beef without the waste, since he has trimmed it way; this will also brings down the cost.

It is doubtful that you will be adding beef tenderloin to your weekly meal rotation; but the holidays are a special time and, of course, special food. A beef tenderloin also gives you an opportunity for culinary creativity. I sometimes will marinate it overnight. An especially nice marinade for this purpose is ¼ cup olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon dried thyme. Or if I am grilling the tenderloin, I coat it with your favorite southwestern dry rub ~ 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and ½ teaspoon dried oregano ~ and I roast as described below. The method I am using in this recipe gives you a beautifully rare middle.



Beef Tenderloin with Chili-Cured Onions & Yukon Gold Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 (24-ounce) beef tenderloin, seasoned with garlic & fresh ground black pepper

Onions:
2 cups vertically sliced red onions
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
2 teaspoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

Potatoes:
4 Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

To prepare onions, combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl; toss well. Let stand 2 hours, stirring occasionally. In a microwave proof dish, place onions and microwave for 5 minutes. Drain and spray with cooking spray and microwave for an additional 5 minutes or until tender.

To prepare potatoes, combine potatoes, oil, salt and pepper; toss well. Arrange potato slices in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes. Turn potato slices over and bake an additional 20 minutes or until tender and lightly brown.

Rub tenderloin with olive oil and rub pepper and minced garlic over surface. In a preheated oven set at 450 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes medium-rare. Let stand for 5 minutes and slice into ½ -inch slices.

On each plate, place slices of tenderloin and potatoes.
Top beef with onions.

Serves 4

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George’s notes:

• Holiday entertaining should be a delight and never a chore; if it is the latter, you may as well be partying with Scrooge.
• Whether your get-together is spontaneous and casual ~ good friends devouring a potluck supper around the kitchen table or more structured, like a Saturday afternoon cocktail party or you are having a formal black-tie midnight New Years party ~ Your party should bear your personal touch; just remember, the fancier and more detailed the event, the more you'll need to do...