January 2004 - Beef Fillet with Spicy Potatoes and Horseradish and Herb Cream

I am pleased with the progress that I am making so far. I have all my recipes for the rest of January and February picked out, although there are several different options in some magazines. Now I just have to make the food. I don't see that this is going to be a problem as I just love to cook and since I live on my own there is no one else there to do it if I don't. I also have been reasonably careful about choosing recipes that are easy to make for one person, or two portions so that I have some leftovers.

In the January 2004 magazine there were a number of options to choose from - Bill Granger's Chicken Noodle Salad but I have eaten a lot of chicken lately and I needed something different. Kingsley Sullivan's Baked Eggs recipe almost won out and I will make it one day but I wanted something for dinner not breakfast. I finally decided on another Valli Little recipe - Beef Fillet with Spicy Potatoes and Horseradish & Herb Cream. This had to be one of the best meals that I have made in a long time. It was full of a huge variety of flavours and they blended well to produce a very enjoyable meal. I did, unfortunately, over cook the beef fillet so it was no longer pink inside but the meat was not dry to tough thankfully. My favourite part though would have to be the horseradish & herb cream. The smooth, creaminess of the creme fraiche was enhanced by the horseradish and chives to produce a glorious sauce that had me going back for seconds when finishing up the potatoes. I look forward to using the rest of it soon.

Beef Fillet with Spicy Potatoes and Horseradish and Herb Cream

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 5 tbs (100ml) olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbs finely chopped thyme leaves
• 650g beef fillet, trimmed of fat and sinew
• 2 red capsicum
• 750g potatoes (pontiac, desiree), peeled, cut into 3cm cubes
• 1 tbs sweet smoked paprika
• 150ml creme fraiche
• 2 tbs horseradish sauce
• 2 tbs chopped fresh chives
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 100g baby rocket (I used baby spinach)
  

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
   
2. Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, the garlic and half the thyme, then rub into the beef. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
   
3. Grill the capsicum until the skin is blackened and charred. Place in a plastic bag and leave until cool, then remove skin and seeds.
   
4. Slice capsicum into thin strips and set aside.
   
5. Heat a lightly oiled large frypan over high heat, add beef and cook on all sides to brown. Transfer to a baking tray and season with salt and pepper. Cook in oven for 10 minutes (it will still be quite rare, so cook a little longer if preferred). Cool.
   
6. Place potatoes in a bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the paprika and remaining thyme. Spread potatoes on a large lined baking tray, and roast for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through and crisp.
   
7. Place creme fraiche, horseradish and chives in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper.
   
8. To serve, combine remaining olive oil and vinegar, season, toss with capsicum strips and rocket. Slice beef into 0.5cm slices. Place potatoes on plates, top with salad, then beef. Drizzle with horseradish cream.