Roast Beef Tenderloin With Garlic Herb Butter

IMG_0798 (550x367)Let me say, this dinner takes my breath away. It is absolutely delicious and beautiful too. It’s definitely a special occasion type of meal. I’ve made it for my husband’s 30th birthday and also for a few holiday meals. It’s a great example of how quality ingredients don’t need too much fuss or a long list of ingredients. Seriously. Make this. I may have shed a tear of utter joy the first time I took a bite, it’s that good. You will not regret it. You can easily double the recipe if you’re cooking for a large group of people. I even made this with venison tenderloin one year after my brother, Valentin, shot a deer. It was delicious too.

Tie the roast with kitchen twine, about 1 1/2 inches apart. This will keep it the roast in a nice tight bundle. Sprinkle it all over with the 1 teaspoon of salt and let it stand at room temperature for about 1 hour, covered with plastic wrap. IMG_0682 (550x367)Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, while the roast is “salting”.

Pat the roast dry with a paper towel. Rub it all over with the softened 2 Tablespoons of butter. Place on a rimmed baking sheet on top of a rack. IMG_0712 (550x364)Roast in the preheated oven for 55-70 minutes, turning it over halfway through, depending on how thick your roast is and how done you want the meat to be int he center. It should be about 135 degrees for a medium roast, or 140 degrees if you like your meat a little bit more cooked. I wouldn’t recommend cooking it more, since the meat will be dry.

While the roast is baking, make the flavored butter. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and mash them with a fork. IMG_0689 (550x367)

IMG_0693 (550x367)Wrap it in plastic wrap, forming it into a log shape. IMG_0698 (550x367)

IMG_0702 (550x367)

IMG_0708 (550x367)Place it in the freezer or the refrigerator until it’s firm. You can make this a few days or even weeks in advance.

In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil on medium high heat. Add the beef tenderloin and cook for 1-2 minutes per side, 4-8 minutes total, until each side is a lovely golden color. IMG_0724 (550x367)

IMG_0728 (550x367)Place the garlic herb butter on top of the hot roast, at which point it will start to melt. Let the meat rest for about 15 minutes. IMG_0737 (550x367)

IMG_0798 (550x367)

Roast Beef Tenderloin With Garlic Herb Butter
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
Roast Beef Tenderloin:
  • 1 beef tenderloin (center cut, 1½ - 2 lbs)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 Tablespoons oil, vegetable or canola
Garlic-Herb Butter:
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper, each
Instructions
Beef Tenderloin:
  1. Tie the roast with kitchen twine, about 1½ inches apart. This will keep it the roast in a nice tight bundle.
  2. Sprinkle it all over with the 1 teaspoon of salt and let it stand at room temperature for about 1 hour, covered with plastic wrap.
  3. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, while the roast is "salting".
  4. Pat the roast dry with a paper towel. Rub it all over with the softened 2 Tablespoons of butter.
  5. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet on top of a rack.
  6. Roast in the preheated oven for 55-70 minutes, turning it over halfway through, depending on how thick your roast is and how done you want the meat to be int he center. It should be about 135 degrees for a medium roast.
For the flavored butter:
  1. While the beef is roasting, make the flavored butter. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and mash them with a fork. Wrap it in plastic wrap, forming it into a log shape. Place it in the freezer or the refrigerator until it's firm. You can make this a few days or even weeks in advance.
It All Comes Together:
  1. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil on medium high heat.
  2. Add the beef tenderloin and cook for 1-2 minutes per side, 4-8 minutes total, until each side is a lovely golden color.
  3. Place the garlic herb butter on top of the hot roast, at which point it will start to melt. Let the meat rest for about 15 minutes before you cut into it.

20 Comments

  • Natasha Y

    This looks divine! I have a few questions.
    1. Where do you buy kitchen twine?
    2. Is there specific technique you use when you tie the roast? I never done it before.
    I noticed that you don’t use those black/ nonstick pans. What do you do so your food don’t stick to the bottom?

    • olgak7

      Hi Natasha,
      1. I usually buy my kitchen twine in a restaurant supply store. You can also buy it online, but ask around in your local stores that sell kitchen supplies or even grocery stores. I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to find it, since it’s a common item.
      2. There are different ways to tie a roast. I’ll try to do a post to show you several examples. The easiest is to cut individual pieces of twine and tie them tightly around the roast and then cutting off the leftover twine.
      3. I use both nonstick skillets and stainless steel skillets, each for different purposes. I’ll also do a post about cooking in different skillets. I use nonstick skillets when I cook delicate things like eggs or fish. Stainless steel skillets are great to use when you want the meat to have a beautiful golden brown and crispy exterior, which you wouldn’t achieve by using a nonstick pan. I wrote a little bit about cooking meat in a stainless steel skillet and how to keep it from sticking to the pan in the post Rum Glazed Pork Tenderloin. First of all, you need to make sure that the meat is dry. Use a paper towel to pat the meat dry.
      Second, you need to make sure that you heat the skillet to a high temperature. You should see wisps coming up from the oil in the skillet, but not smoking, otherwise you will burn the exterior but the meat will still be raw in the center. Third, LEAVE THE MEAT ALONE, until it releases from the skillet by itself. Gently try to lift the meat with your tongs; if it’s still not done, it will stick to the skillet. It will release beautifully when it’s ready and you can flip it over at this point.
      However, it’s important to have a good quality skillet, where the heat distributes evenly throughout the surface of the skillet, or your meat will not cook correctly.

  • Gözde Demirci

    Hi Olga,

    İt seems gorgeous. I planned to cook it for the new year’s meal.
    But I have some questions. After heating the owen to 300 degrees, do you cook the meat 55-70 minutes in 300 degrees or in 140 degrees. I could not understand that instruction part.

    Regards,

    • olgak7

      Hi Gozde,
      You cook the beef tenderloin in a 300 degree oven until the MEAT in the center is 135-140 degrees. There is a thermometer that you insert into the center of the meat to check it’s temperature. It’s the most accurate way of checking if the meat is done.

    • olgak7

      Shallot is not a red onion. I’m pretty sure it’s called “шалот” in Russian as well. http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Лук-шалот It’s in the same family as onion and garlic. It’s much smaller than an onion and typically has several cloves, like garlic. It taste milder than an onion and I love using in in my recipes, especially in recipes where you want something more mild and not as strong as a regular onion. You can use a regular onion if you can’t find shallots, just use less onions, or sauté them first.

  • yana

    Hi Olga!! I reallly want to make this for our family gathering on Christmas Eve, but I dont have the kind of skillet that you finish it off in and I cant really afford to buy one right now, do you have any suggestions or should I make something else??? I really appreciate your responses and your recipies are the BEST!!

  • Helen

    thank you for this recipe. I did this today, i skipped last steps. No garlic herb butter. Me and my son really enjoyed this roast beef.

  • Ani

    Hi, just wondering how long you cooked this meat for thats in this pic? 140 or 130 my husbad usually likes his meat well done, but i like mine with a it of pink. thanks. i wanna try this recipe for thanksgiving

  • Tatyana Belous

    Hi Olga, thank you for your dedication of this blog. The recipes have been so useful to me in my first ear of marriage. Although I use other websites and blogs for recipes, I always seem to come back to your blog as my first stop. 🙂 Quick question about this post…Could I substitute with pork rib roast? Thanks!

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