I am all about saving money in every way I can these days, and buying in bulk can mean big savings at checkout. Beef tenderloin is a splurge no matter how you look at it. Whenever I can, I like to buy the whole unprocessed beef tenderloin. This means I can break it down myself and make multiple meals. You’d normally spend upwards of $20 per pound on small, trimmed filet steaks. But when buying the whole tenderloin, I spent around $13 per pound and was able to get at least 4 meals for my family of 4. This week I made stir fry, steaks on the grill, pan seared tenderloin roast, tacos, and I threw the last bit of scraps into chili. It’s nice to splurge, and even nicer to make sure I’ve got multiple extra meals while splurging. If I’m careful I can turn this entire hunk of meat into food for a week for my family. And that feels good!
Serves 4
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 20-25 minutes
Rest time 10-15 minutes
Beef tenderloin
1 1/2 pound beef tenderloin roast, trimmed (tied or untied)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Chimichurri sauce
1 bunch cilantro
4-5 sprigs of mint
1 bunch of green onions
1 sprig rosemary
6-7 stems flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Splash of orange juice
The juice of a lemon
1. Prepare your beef tenderloin if it is untrimmed. Break down your tenderloin by removing the chain or side muscle. Then gently remove the head and tail of the tenderloin. Carefully set your knife under the silver skin and remove it completely. Cut your tenderloin into the chateaubriand roast and liberally season it.
2. Heat a skillet with butter and olive oil over medium heat. Begin searing the tenderloin evenly on each side. Adjust the heat so your pan is not smoking. Continue to rotate the meat until your internal temperature is around 120 degrees. Tent with foil and rest the meat before slicing. The smaller the roast, the easier it pan roasts. But larger roasts do need to finish in a 425-degree oven.
3. While the roast cooks, make the chimichurri. Whirl up all the ingredients in a food processor and set aside.
4. Chop the meat up and serve in a warm tortilla with lots of chimichurri sauce. Enjoy!
