Beef Tenderloin with Skordalia

I know i havent made anything for a few days.. it was an awesome long weekend and i was sick for a day or two, but im back in action. today, besides the fact that it was extremely hot, i decided to cook beef tenderloin which i bought at Whole Foods which literally cost me half an arm and a piece of my leg.

yeah, crazy huh? worth every bite, i promise. in case you cant see the price, its $46.46!

id like to introduce taste tester #6, angelica. i got to see how she eats when either shes not hungry or doesnt like what shes eating. long story short, the plate i served her might of took a little while to polish but she ate everything off that plate. so im assuming it was quite tasty.

today for dinner i had bobby, claudia and angelica.

they all loved the dinner; claudia thought the skordalia had a little too much vinegar but the the skordalia is more of a spread for the meat. the meat had some seasoning with the garlic and the marjoram but not a lot. the skordalia had the majority of all the flavor, it was meant to be eaten together.

I got this recipe from the Food Network Magazine: May 2010. my first of many from these magazines.

Heres the checklist!

Ingredients:

For the Beef:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh marjoram, plus more for garnish
• 1 3/4-pound piece boneless beef tenderloin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Skordalia:

• 1 head garlic
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium russet potato
• Kosher salt
• 1/3 cup blanched whole almonds
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparations:

Prepare the beef: Mix the olive oil, sliced garlic and marjoram in a baking dish. Add the beef and turn to coat, then cover and marinate at room temperature, turning occasionally, 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the skordalia: Smash and peel the garlic cloves; warm in a small saucepan with the olive oil over low heat until soft, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the potato and cut into chunks. Cover with water in a saucepan, season with salt and simmer over medium heat until tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer the potato to a bowl with a slotted spoon, reserving the cooking water, and mash with a potato masher.

Blend the almonds in a food processor until smooth. Add about half of the softened garlic, 1/2 cup of the garlic-flavored oil, 1/3 cup potato cooking water, the vinegar and 3/4 teaspoon salt; puree until smooth. Add the potato and pulse just until creamy. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the marjoram and parsley.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the beef from the marinade and scrape off any garlic (reserve the marinade). Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the marinade, then sear the beef until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted into the center of the beef registers 125 degrees, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.

Slice the beef and serve with the skordalia. Top with the remaining garlic oil, softened garlic and more marjoram.

Tomorrow is pasta for lunch and bobby gets to enjoy! Enjoy!