Perfected Filet Mignon

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July 22nd, 2020

Christopher loves filet mignon but before him, I was never a big red meat kinda gal. After a few hundreds of dollars spent on steak dinners, I decided maybe I should take a shot at it myself. It took me a few times to perfect this one as I was really motivated to make it better than any filet you could order at a restaurant.

The verdict…this is the best filet mignon we have ever had. Period.

Ingredients

2 pieces of center cut filet mignon
EVOO
Course sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper
4 tbsp salted butter
2-4 fresh, bruised rosemary sprigs *sometimes I substitute thyme*
6 cloves of garlic, smashed

I know, so simple but TRUST, it’s great.

Recipe

Take filet mignon out of fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Room temperature meat is essential.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub salt and pepper generously all over the meat; top, bottom, and sides.
Heat an oven safe, cast iron (preferable) or shiny metal skillet (do not use a non-stick pan!) on medium-high heat. When hot, add enough EVOO to coat bottom of the skillet.
Add the steak to the skillet and sear the bottom side for 2-3 minutes. Resist the urge to check before 2 minutes. Don’t try to pull the steaks off the pan if they are sticking. When the crust is formed and it’s ready, it comes off very easily.
Repeat step 5 on the second side and during the last minute, add butter, rosemary, and garlic to the pan. As butter melts, spoon it over the steaks a few times to baste. The butter will turn light brown, but it shouldn’t get too dark or burn. You should now have a crisp, dark crust formed on both sides of the steaks and its ready to go in the oven to finish.

7. With an oven mitt, take the skillet directly from the stovetop and transfer it to the preheated oven.

8. Bake for 3-4 minutes. This is where I screwed up the first time around. ***All the youtube videos, Bon Apetite, whatever else, said to cook in the oven for 5 minutes for medium-rare. WRONG! If you overcook it, you can’t go back – better to undercook and potentially throw it back in for an extra minute.

9. Remove skillet from oven, baste with juices a few more times, and remove steaks from pan. Let them sit on a cutting board for 3 minutes before checking for done-ness. IF it is undercooked, return to the skillet and let roast for 1 more minute.

10. When done, plate, top with rosemary, and pour remainder of butter from pan over the top of the meat. Serve with roasted veggies, fingerling potatoes, or your favorite side dish. If you’re extra, like Chris, serve with this chimichurri on the side.