Roasted Whole Beef Tenderloin with Onion Blue Cheese Sauce
My foolproof recipe for roasted Roasted Whole Beef Tenderloin with Onion Blue Cheese Sauce makes a truly impressive main dish for your holiday dinner or special occasion.
1whole beef tenderloin4-6 lbs, ask your butcher to trim and tie it for you
2tablespoonunsalted buttersoftened, at room temperature
1tablespoonkosher salt
1tablespooncoarsely ground black pepper
1tablespoongarlic powder
Onion Blue Cheese Sauce
4tablespoonunsalted butter
1yellow onion large, minced
1cupheavy cream
3tablespoonWorcestershire sauce
¾cupcrumbled blue cheese
Instructions
Beef Tenderloin
Take the meat out of the refrigerator around 30-45 minutes before you plan to cook it to allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the beef on a wire rack on a foil-lined baking sheet with sides. Dry the meat with paper towels.
Use your hands and spread the butter all over the tenderloin.
Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Roast in the oven for approximately 22 minutes (120-130 degrees) for rare, 25 minutes (130-140 degrees) for medium-rare, and 30 minutes (140-150 degrees) for medium. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness. How long it takes to come up to temperature depends on the thickness of the tenderloin.
Remove the meat from the oven and cover lightly with foil. Allow the beef to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes before slicing.
Onion Blue Cheese Sauce
Melt four tablespoons butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add minced onions and cook until lightly browned and softened. About 7-8 minutes.
Pour in the cream, a dash of salt and pepper and the Worcestershire sauce. Let it come to a boil.
Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth and add the blue cheese. Stir together until the cheese is melted. Taste and add more seasonings if necessary.
To serve
Slice the beef tenderloin and serve with the Onion Blue Cheese Sauce.
Notes
The Onion-Blue Cheese sauce can be made several days ahead of time and reheated. It is also delicious on mashed potatoes.
Usually, during the holidays, most grocery stores will have whole beef tenderloins on sale, if you have room, you might consider buying two and freezing one.
Keep in mind that after your meat is removed from the oven, the internal temperature will increase by about five degrees while it rests.
Because beef tenderloin has less fat than other cuts, you should always purchase tenderloins labeled Prime or Choice.
When buying a whole tenderloin, you should plan to purchase about eight ounces of raw meat per person up to twelve ounces per person to feed folks with larger appetites. Also, know you will lose about two ounces of the eight ounces of raw meat during trimming and cooking.
For example, to feed eight folks with average appetites, the rule of thumb would be to purchase an approximately four-pound raw tenderloin. However, I always err on the side of buying more than I think I might need because you never know when you might have an extra guest or want leftovers.
Don't try to second guess whether your meat is done; always use a meat thermometer! I use two to make sure I get it right!