The best meal for any special occasion
This recipe for Slow Roasted Beef Tenderloin is by far, my most favorite special occasion meal to make. It is not only one of the easiest dishes I have ever made, but it is also sure to impress even the most critical of guests. (Hopefully you don’t have too many critics in your life!)
There are no tricks, fancy techniques or equipment needed to execute this recipe. All you need is a great cut of beef, some fresh tarragon and butchers twine. After that, the oven does all the work.
I have actually invented reasons to host special occasions just so I have an excuse to make this incredible beef tenderloin!
Having made this beef countless times, I can tell you that every-single-time, the results are simply beyond impressive.
The Tarragon wrap
Believe it not, the tarragon actually infuses the beef with a ton of flavor without any fancy ingredients, special equipment or technical ability.
Step one: First lay out the twine in vertical strips about 3 inches apart.
Step two: Lay the tarragon leaves side by side (perpendicular) on across the twine, this will allow you to wrap the tenderloin completely.
Step three: Place the Tenderloin onto the tarragon leaves.
Step four: Finish placing the tarragon stems and leaves onto the top of the tenderloin.
Step five: Grab each twine and pull it around the tenderloin to tie it off on top, like wrapping a gift.
You should end up with a tenderloin wrapped in tarragon. Stuff any remaining pieces of the herb into any notably bare areas. It does not have to be perfect.
Every special meal deserves a special sauce.
I have tried many, many sauces to accompany this beef, but I always come back to the Ina Garten’s original recommendation for sauce which is a delicious Basil Parmesan sauce. When I don’t have the time or the ingredients to make this basil mayonnaise, I serve the beef with a delicious horseradish creme sauce or a good steak sauce such as Delmonico’s.
Slow Roasted Beef Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 whole filet of beef tenderloin trimmed and tied (4 1/2 pounds)
- 3 tablespoons good olive oil
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 15-20 branches fresh tarragon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
- Place the filet on a sheet pan and pat it dry (all over) with paper towels. Brush the filet all over with the oil, reserving about half a tablespoon. Sprinkle it all over with the salt and pepper. Place the tarragon branches around the beef, tying them in 4 or 5 places with kitchen twine to keep them in place, and then brush the tarragon with the reserved oil.
- Roast the filet of beef for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, until the temperature registers 125 degrees in the center for rare and 135 degrees for medium-rare. Cover the filet with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Slice thickly and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Basil Parmesan Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 large egg yolks at room temperature (organic free range eggs are recommended)
- 3 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup sunflower oil (canola oil works well here too.)
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped and packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, parmesan, mustard, garlic, basil, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. (About 20 seconds.)
- Combine the 2 oils in a measuring cup. With the processor running, slowly pour the oils into the bowl through the feed tube and process until emulsified.
- Taste for seasoning. (It is a sauce, so it should have ia good amount of seasoning.)
- Store the sauce in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. A mason jar works well.
3 thoughts on “Slow Roasted Beef Tenderloin”
This tenderloin has the most amazing flavour. It’s perfect every time!
Made the tenderloin for Christmas Dinner – it was amazing! Melted in our mouths and was cooked perfectly. I didn’t have tarragon but had a fresh herb mix of thyme, rosemary and sage sprigs so I used them – delicious!! Will definitely make this again, its a keeper!
I am so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it! Although we were a small crowd of 3 this past Christmas, I still made it this year, and for the first time we had leftovers for “melt in your mouth” sandwiches the next day. Yum! Preparing the tenderloin this way simply blows me away every time we make it. Great to know you tried it with other herbs! Thank you for taking the time to reach out!