We’ve had about two pounds of beef tenderloin tips in the freezer for a few months now so we decided to serve them up last week for a very low-key Valentine’s Day dinner. If you are unfamiliar with the cut, it is a great option for getting a tender piece of high quality beef for a reasonable price. It is basically the tips from a larger piece of meat that turns into the very popular filet mignon.
I think this is one reason it took me so long to use it. I’m not exactly an excellent beef cook, unless a slow cooker decides to show up, and I didn’t want to ruin it.
To ensure success, I used a recipe as opposed to creating one myself. And by I, I mean my husband. After dinner I told him his cooking with me was like the boy in the Google video on Valentine’s Day. He jumped rope with me, and that’s all I really wanted for the occasion.
We used a recipe for Tenderloin Tips with Mushrooms and Herbs from the Food & Wine section of the Seattle Times posted last year. We doubled the recipe due to the amount of meat, and we also doubled everything else except for the mustard and rum. We used rum instead of brandy.
The final result was tender pieces of meat in an amazing sauce with the sweetness of red wine, but the bite of dijon mustard. I rarely like a stew-type beef, but this one far exceeded my expectations.
The rest of the meal was plain and simple, but with a colorful twist. I found purple potatoes in Cincinnati last weekend! I’ve read a lot about their production and health benefit, and about the research being used in the evaluation of the crop so I was interested in trying them. They’re still rare in this area.
The color can’t help but make you happy in the kitchen. It is so deep and rich, and only intensifies when roasted. I chopped them up with some Fingerling potatoes, coated them in olive oil, sprinkled on some sea salt and dried rosemary from last summer’s herb garden. They were ready to go after roasting about 20 minutes at 425 degrees F.
I wouldn’t call myself a meat and potatoes person, but every now and then I can see why people love them so much.
I always make fun of my husband for being meat & potatoes, but I do get it. 🙂
like it:)
I do enjoy meat and potatoes once in a while. The purple potatoes look awesome, and the beef tenderloin sounds amazing!
Emily – It’s definitely good every once in a while.
Dota – Thanks!
Beth – I’m now obsessed with purple potatoes! 🙂
I think because my mom never really cooked hunks of beef, I was never very adept at it either. But thsi recipe sounds foolproof!
Oh Lori, since I am a meat eater, this is the perfect meal for me…love the beef tenderloin with mushrooms…looks delicious paired with the potatoes…by the way, I love the figerling potatoes.
Hope you are having a fabulous week 🙂
Does the purple potatoes have a different texture or taste?
Love your photos of this yummy meal
Cody – Not really. They are a dense potato, but have the same texture as a white potato maybe like a Yukon. The texture is smooth, not gritty. They taste like a white or red potato, savory, not a like a sweet potato. Hope this helps! 🙂