I adapted this recipe from Ina Garten's Back to Basics episode last week.. and boy did it look good. This is my version of her Filet of Beef sandwich. There were actually a few things that I changed. For starters, I used round roast. I'm just starting out this cooking deal, and I didnt know there was a difference between a filet of beef and round roast.. and to my surprise, lol, there is!!! Its a lot tougher then the filet. According to what I have read, the filet is really tender and basically melts in your mouth. Knowing is half the battle. Next time it will be perfect, but anways back to what I changed. Ina Garten used a truffle butter, so I had to hunt down this sacred truffle butter. (Which at the end, I could have done with out.) Also she used Arugula, and I dont particularly like arugula, so I opted for spinach. I added a little bit of olive oil and a hint of vinegar on the spinach and closed him up and divided it in to sections. Lets just say that my hunnie was a very big fan of this meal I have prepared.This is definately one for the books...and the best part of it all, the ingredients are minimal. So here's the recipe, taken from Foodnetwork.com. I hope you all enjoy.
Beef of Filet
1 whole filet of beef (4-5 pounds), trimmed and tied ( dont make the same mistake i made)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature ( so you can spread with your fingers)
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 500°F
Place the beef on a baking sheet and pat the outside dry with a paper towel. Spread the butter on with your hands. Sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 22 minutes for rare, 25 minutes for medium rare and 30 minutes for medium well.
Remove the beef from the oven, cover it tightly with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Remove strings and slice the filet thinly.
I used fresh French bread for the sandwich, but you could use what ever you have on hand or your favortie kind. Spread a thin layer of chocloate truffle butter on the bottom half of the bread. Layer the filet slices and top with arugula or spinach. (Next time I think I will try it with arugula. I think the bitterness of the leaves and the filet with truffles might give it a crisp taste.) Enjoy!
