Andy Says…

“It looked really good and tasted great! Tell your blog readers that.”

…but I didn’t get a picture of the finished product.

For Sunday Company Dinner this week, I had decided that I wanted to do something easy and sandwich like.  I’d been fighting off the ants all week, and I really felt like I needed to give my attention to scrubbing and cleaning my cooking space.  I was waffling…did I want to just do burgers? Brats and dogs? I had sort of settled on simple chicken breasts when the new issue of Gourmet magazine showed up in my mailbox. On page 82 a recipe for Beef Tenderloin with Smoked-Paprika Mayonnaise spoke to me.  It looked incredibly easy to do, the picture was appealing, and the mayo told me that this would be a great candidate for a sandwich.  So I went shopping.  I needed a fresh jar of smoked paprika and the tenderloin, and I would be in business.  I wondered how much tenderloin I’d need for our crowd…the recipe as written said that a 4 pound tenderloin would feed roughly 12 people.  But then I looked at the tenderloins. Pork I’m used to- they’re inexpensive and one of our favorite cuts of pork.  But the beef… I have to say the 8 pound tenderloin I was looking at looked awfully small, and I could see that I was going to need at least 2 for our gang.  And the sticker…well, I truly could have prepared a Prime Rib for the same cost.

So I discussed it a bit with the butcher, and we decided that I could pull off the same recipe, with modifications, with a rump roast- the kind that are boneless and tied with string.  So that I was able to buy 10 pounds of and be satisfied that I wasn’t going to have to leave a limb behind as payment.  I had to change toe recipe to suit my cut of meat.  I wasn’t going to be able to cook it at the high temperature called for and end up with a succulent bit of meat.  Low and slow was going to do the trick- making sure the fat cap was on top so that it would ooze into the rest of the roast as it cooked.  The rub smelled fantastic when I made it- I absolutely love smoked paprika.  It adds a fantastic flavor similar to a chipotle- but without the heat. I rubbed and massaged my roast, plopped it in the roasting pan, covered it tightly and then let it go at 350º for almost two hours.  I probe with my thermometer then told me that the roast was still tough, so I turned it down to 325ºF for another 2 hours.  Then I let it rest for a full 30 minutes before slicing in.  Flavor-wise, it was spectacular.  Texture wise, the rump worked very well, and sliced thinly, it was tender enough for sandwiches. I thought it was just a touch on the dry side, and in retrospect I would have either taken it out 20 minutes earlier, or I would have cooked it at 325ºF the entire time.

The mayo is fantastic.  Again, that smoked paprika is wonderful, and it totally added to the beef in every way.  The only thing I felt was missing was that I thought it could use just a hint of horseradish to accompany the beef.  So tableside I encouraged everyone to add just a dab of horseradish- since I know everyone is not a fan of the stuff, I didn’t want to mix it in and turn someone off. The horseradish made it sing. Truly.  I did manage to snap a photo of the mayo- it really is that bright shade of orange, and honestly, it will serve double duty on other sandwiches here.  I left out the meat drippings as called for in the recipe, because most of my drippings were greasy.  I was already serving mayo, I didn’t think that adding beef fat to it was very appealing- especially since I was using a heart healthy canola mayo.

Overall- this was a real winner.  I have several other recipes from this newest issue of Gourmet earmarked to try, it’s full of seasonal comfort food- my favorite, although there are several that I’ll have to wait on, as the produce called for is not in season here yet.  On tap for tonight I have a new vegetarian recipe on my radar from a new-to-me cookbook. I’m really looking forward to it, as it will also use some of the amazing chard from my garden.  Watch for a garden update or two this week, as every day I find something new.  It’s a new week here, and I’m loving summer.

Beef Tenderloin with Smoked-Paprika Mayonnaise

from Gourmet magazine, July 2008

For Beef:

2 large garlic cloves

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (3 1/2 to 4 lb) trimmed beef tenderloin

For the Mayonnaise:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons meat juices from beef, or to taste (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 500ºF with the rack in the middle.

Mince and mash the garlic to a paste with the salt.  Transfer to a small bowl and stir in paprika, cumin, oil, and black pepper.

Pat the tenderloin dry, then rub garlic mixture all over it.  Roast in a roasting pan until an instant read thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into center of meat registers 120ºF, 25 to 35 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer to a platter along with any pan juices and cool, loosely covered with foil, 30 minutes to 1 hour.  (Internal temperature will rise to about 130ºF as it rests.)

Make mayonnaise: Stir together mayonnaise, paprika, cumin, and pepper.  Stir in meat juices and salt to taste.

To serve: Cut meat into thick slices.  Serve warm or at room temperature, with smoked paprika mayonnaise.  Mayonnaise will keep, chilled, for 2 weeks.