Directions for roasting a whole fillet:
Preheat oven to 450
- Allow the fillet to reach room temperature ( About 2 hours out of refrigeration)
- Lay out a piece of heavy plastic wrap or freezer paper on the counter and place fillet on paper. Season whole fillet with Herbes De Provence.
- Place fillet on a rack in an open pan.
I line a jelly roll pan ( one with sides ) with aluminum foil, spray a large cooling rack with cooking spray and lay the fillet on the rack. - Bake for 15 minutes
- Turn heat back to 350 and roast 35 minutes, 45 minutes for medium.
- Allow fillet to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Tony and I used to go to the Farmer’s Market in Strafford, PA every Saturday. It was how we started our weekend. Breakfast at the counter ( pancakes and french toast with pure maple syrup),and then a stroll through the booths gathering what looked good for the week ahead. There was always a stop at the meat and fish counter where our friend Bob gave us advise on what was the best fish or what he thought was the best cut of meat. So we began buying a beef fillet for Christmas. It was probably the only time we bought a whole fillet because it was so expensive. He gave us these instructions and it really makes a delicious roast. You really can not go wrong with a fillet anyway .
September 2013 Tony passed after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. My cousin Pat and her husband Bud , their daughter Sarah and boyfriend Mike, Ryan, Anthony, Matt, Rachel, Gianna and Mia and I celebrated Christmas together. Not the first Christmas without Tony since he was at Arden Court the previous Christmas, but the saddest. But my family made this a great Christmas !
Anyway, the discussion between Pat and I was what we were having for Christmas dinner since this was the first shared Christmas we had since we became reacquainted with each other through Facebook after a 30 year hiatus. She suggested a prime rib because she wanted to make a Yorkshire pudding with the drippings ( Bud’s mothers recipe ) and I wanted to make my fillet. Well, we settled on both! A very expensive meal to say the least but the meat was delicious.
I cooked the fillet and the prime rib on the same rack – same temperature, same time. I seasoned the fillet with herbes de provence and no seasoning on the prime rib since it had a little layer of fat on the top. Both were beautiful! I cooked it for the full hour with the temperature change and it satisfied the bloody crowd . Since Ryan, Mia and I like it medium well, I sauted a few pieces in the pan drippings with a little butter and it was perfect. I did a small fillet this summer and I had Ryan place the sliced fillets on a medium grill for a few seconds to cook it through for us. It had a grilled flavor! A little more work – just make sure you don’t dry them out.
An easy holiday main dish!
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