Snow Day Steakhouse

Ah, the sweet release of a Friday afternoon. School’s out (and out early), there is the whispering promise of snow filling everyone’s head. With girls in their Uggs and pullovers and boys in their shorts and sweatshirts (which frankly, I will never understand), the cold weather is evident in us all. What better day than this is there to cook up something ridiculously delicious! This horseradish and herb crusted beef tenderloin is a delicious and healthy way to warm up your chilly winter evenings (or at least that’s what it says on the recipe).

The dish itself is fairly simple: a beef tenderloin (‘preferably grass-fed’ says the recipe, which is ‘higher in immune-boosting conjugated linoleic acid than conventional beef’) that is encrusted with LOTS of flavor. The thing that stood out to me with this is the horseradish; I’ve personally never tried horseradish, but I am very much aware of its spicy-tangy-strong flavor thanks to A Series of Unfortunate Events. It’s a peculiar place to learn of an ingredient, I know. Never the less, Mr. Snicket felt the need to supply my young mind with horseradish-y content that will stick with me for the rest of my days. In addition to the illuisve-but-not-so-illusive-horseradish, there is parsley, thyme, rosemary, garlic, dijon mustard, and of course, salt and pepper. If I can teach you anything, my dear reader, it is to put salt and pepper on absolutely everything savory you make. EVERYTHING. Don’t question it. Just salt-n-peppa that thing and watch your world change for the better. Trust me. I know things.

This is the picture on the website that I snatched this recipe from. The beef is cooked perfectly, a nice pale pink all the way through, and the outside is smothered in flavorful spices. The gold fork adds a nice touch, don’t ya think? Overall, not too intimidating.

So on this dreary chilly January afternoon, I began my venture at Kroger. Here’s a tip: don’t go to the grocery store the night of a winter storm. It’s not a pretty sight. I found the herbs that I needed, as well as a larrrrrge coffee, and I went to go pick out my tenderloin. Unbeknownst to my 16-year-old-mind, beef tenderloin is just a bit on the pricey side (!!!). Never the less, I had committed to this dish. I said to myself, as I paid $30 for some cow, Treat. Yo. Self.

So pretty! But so plain

Now comes the fun part! Step one: heat oven to 400°F. So far so good. Step two: peel and shred horseradish. It was this very moment when I learned that horseradish is gross and I sure wasn’t putting an entire cup of it on this tenderloin, so I opted for a quarter cup instead. Step 3: Combine parsley, rosemary, thyme, and garlic with shredded horseradish.
Step 4: salt n peppa that meat (told ya). Step 5: Combine olive oil and dijon mustard and brush onto beef. Step 6: sprinkle herb mixture onto meat and press to stick. 

( Here’s the full recipe for those who aren’t satisfied with my steps. )

Finally, the time had arrived to put this baby in the oven. Only 45 minutes left now! In my spare time, I decided to whip up some garlic roasted red potatoes (4 red potatoes sliced thin and tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, baked at 400°F until golden brown) and some sautéed green beans (green beans cooked with butter, chopped onions, chopped bacon; steamed by adding water to the pan gradually and refilling once it cooks off; finish with some more butter and a bit of brown sugar). I kinda made those up.

At long last, my three hour venture was finally coming to a savory, spicy end. Look at this beauty! I’m sure you can tell by now my pan has seen better days. But I don’t care! Look!! It’s not burnt! Golden! Incredible! Delicious! I did that!

I did that!