Beef Tenderloin Sandwiches

What are you serving for the Super Bowl?  Once at a game watching party, David and I laid out a spread with beef tenderloin and chicken tenders.  You get one guess as to which dish received the most commentary and praise?  Yes, the chicken tenders from Kentucky Fried Chicken (now KFC because maybe you will forget that they fry their chicken).  Nevertheless, I will continue to make and serve beef tenderloin sandwiches.  Barefoot Contessa offers a delicious dressing.

If you live in Dallas and don’t have the time or inclination to cook, you will be pleased to know that Carmen’s Delicious Catering is offering beef tenderloin on her Super Bowl menu this week.

Beef Tenderloin Sandwich

Ingredients: 

Beef

1.      1 whole filet of beef (4-5 lbs), trimmed and tied

2.      2 T unsalted butter at room temperature

3.      1 T Kosher salt

4.      1 T ground black pepper

Dressing

1.      ¼ lb (or 4 oz) blue d’Auvergne or other creamy blue cheese

2.      2/3 c sour cream

3.      1/3 c mayonnaise

4.      1 ½ t Worcestershire sauce

5.      1 t Kosher salt

6.      1 t ground black pepper

To Assemble

1.      1 loaf of bread (like health or 7-grain)

2.      1 bunch arugula

3.      Kosher salt

4.      Ground black pepper

5.      2 T unsalted butter at room temperature

To cook the beef:

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 salt and pepper. 

Barefoot Contessa cooks the beef in an oven at 500 degrees.  Roast in the oven – 22 minutes for rare and 25 minutes for medium-rare.

Joy of Cooking cooks it in an oven at 425 – same prep of the beef – for 25-45 minutes depending on your preferred doneness.  Remember that the temperature of beef will continue to rise 5-10 degrees once removed from the oven. 

Emeril cooks a 2 lb beef tender at 350 for 25 minutes but after searing it in a hot saute pan on all sides first.

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, slice and serve.

To prepare the dressing:

Mash the blue cheese with a fork and blend in the remaining ingredients of the dressing.

To assemble the sandwiches:

Slice the bread about ¼ inch thick.  Spread the dressing on half of the bread slices.  Top with slices of beef and arugula and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spread the other half of the bread slices lightly with butter and place butter side down on the beef.

Score!!!