Recipe: Roast Tenderloin of Beef

Serves 8-12

1 5-6 pound beef tenderloin

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put a large roasting pan on top of the stove over a low flame and add olive oil. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper over the entire surface of the roast. Brown the seasoned roast in the pan for 15 minutes, turning every 4 minutes or so to brown it evenly on every side.

2. Move the pan to the oven and cook uncovered for 40 minutes to an hour, or until the beef reaches the doneness you like. Remove from the pan. (See Note.)

3. In the roasting pan will be a layer of clear, amber-colored fat, and underneath the fat will be some liquid pan juices that may or may not have evaporated. Spoon the fat out of the roasting pan, taking care to retain any juices left underneath; discard the fat, then put the roasting pan on top of the stove and add the broth. Boil the broth with the pan drippings for about 5 minutes. Use a whisk or a heatproof, silicone spatula to loosen any bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the cornstarch and water mixture and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened. Strain it into a gravy boat.

4. Slice the roast and distribute the slices between warm serving plates or arrange them on a serving platter. Pass the sauce separately.

Note: I prefer to cook the meat to an internal temperature between 125 and 130 degrees. Then remove the roast from the pan, cover it with a tent of foil and allow it to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing. The USDA recommends cooking the meat to 145 degrees.

From Greg Atkinson