Fillet of beef

Serves 6

Skye Gyngell
Sunday 17 January 2010 01:00 GMT
Comments
(Lisa Barber)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

This is a really good way of cooking beef. Although the cooking time sounds very brief, the resting time is what is important – this will give you beef that is pink but not rare.

1kg/2lb beef fillet, trimmed
Sea salt and black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Heat the oven to 240C/450F/Gas8. Season the beef really well with salt – I do mean generously, for the salt will give the beef a lovely crust. Season with pepper.

Place a pan large enough to hold the beef over a high heat on top of the stove. Once the pan is really hot, pour in the oil – it should sizzle. Now lay the beef in the pan and cook without turning for three to four minutes, then turn and brown the underside for a further four minutes. Transfer to a roasting tray and place on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes, then remove. Once the beef is cool enough to handle, remove from the tin and wrap in plenty of aluminium foil, three to four layers thick. Place in a warm spot – just above the oven is perfect. Leave to sit for half an hour, before slicing and serving. Cut into generous one-inch slices and serve with the dauphinoise.

For the gravy

1 tbsp Dijon mustard
375ml/13fl oz full-bodied red wine
Salt and pepper

I don't like meat that is covered with thick sauces; I find them too heavy. I think it's hard to cook out the flavour of the flour used for thickening – it's too cloying altogether. To make this delicious, thin gravy, once the beef has been removed from the pan, pour off the fat into a dish and place over a medium heat on top of the stove. Add the mustard and stir well, to gather all the juices from the base. Pour over the wine and stir again, then simply let the wine reduce by a third. Taste for seasoning and serve in a jug alongside the beef.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in