Rosemary Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream
This Rosemary Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream is a wonderful main course recipe for Mother’s Day or any special occasion.
It’s seasoned with a rub of fresh rosemary and cracked peppercorns, which rests overnight, flavoring the beef. Then all you have to do the next day is sear the beef and roast. You can even make the horseradish cream a day ahead too!
NOTE: This post is sponsored by Swift Meats, but all ideas contained within are my own.
Serving Suggestions
- To start things off, begin with my delicious Goat Cheese Tartlets and Rose Pamplemousse Cocktails.
- This tender beef tenderloin pairs beautifully with roasted asparagus, or you could serve the asparagus chilled with my Roasted Asparagus Salad with Thyme Shallot Vinaigrette
- For a starchy side dish, try my Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Twice Baked Potatoes or my Homemade Popovers.
- And for dessert, try my wonderful Lemon Curd Tart or my easy Lemon Pound Cake Recipe.
The Ingredients:
- Boneless Beef Tenderloin For this recipe, I’m using a 4lb boneless beef tenderloin by Swift Meats. It’s tender and juicy and the perfect cut for a large gathering because it can feed at least 8 people well. To find a store near you that carries it, check out their store locator guide.
- Vegetable Oil The beef gets seared in a heavy bottom roasting pan before roasting in the oven. This will lock in the flavor. For the searing, I use vegetable oil, but you could also use coconut oil or avocado oil. I wouldn’t use olive oil, since it has a lower smoke point and will smoke up your kitchen in the process!
- Cracked Pepper If you have an adjustable pepper grinder, you could set it on coarse grind and use that, or just place the peppercorns in a resealable bag, and whack them with a rolling pin on a cutting board.
- Fresh Rosemary and beef is such a classic flavor combination. If you don’t have fresh rosemary, you can also substitute with dried.
- Salt I like to use coarse kosher salt for the rub on the beef. It will provide the best flavor.
- Sour Cream Use full-fat sour cream for the best texture and flavor.
- Prepared Horseradish I like a horseradish cream with a kick, so I use a full 1/4 cup of prepared horseradish, but you can start with 2 tablespoons and add more, in one tablespoon increments, to get it to your liking.
- Fresh Chives The chives add a wonderful fresh, oniony flavor to the horseradish cream, but you can also use green onions, fresh dill or fresh parsley.
Step#1: Create the Dry Rub
- The dry rub is super simple to do and can be made the day ahead.
- I love an easy dry rub that packs a wonderful flavor punch!
- Place the black peppercorns in a resealable bag, then place the bag on a cutting board to protect your countertops. Then give the bag a whack with a rolling pin or hammer, crushing the peppercorns until a coarse grind appears.
- In a small bowl, combine the crushed peppercorns, chopped rosemary and salt.
Step#2: Apply the Rub to the Beef
- Before applying the dry rub, pat the tenderloin down with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. This will help the rub stick to the beef and prevent diluting the flavor of the rub.
- Place the tenderloin in a shallow casserole dish.
- Apply half the rub to one side of the beef tenderloin, and then flip it over and apply the remaining rub to the other side.
- Then cover and refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 4 hours for the best flavor.
Step#3: Sear the Beef
- Dust off the excess peppercorns and rosemary before searing. The beef is already well flavored and this will prevent the rosemary and peppercorns from burning in the pan.
- Heat a large heavy bottom roasting pan over medium high heat. If you don’t have the type of roasting pan that can be used on a stovetop, then slice the beef in half and sear it in a large skillet, in batches. The searing helps lock in the flavor, so it’s not a step to skip.
- Sear the beef on all sides until golden brown and then place the tenderloin in the oven to roast.
Step#4: Roast the Beef
- The beef roasts at a high temperature, 425F, which allows this meal to be prepared quickly.
- For medium rare doneness (as seen in these pictures) roast until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 140F.
- For medium doneness, roast to 145F, medium well 150F and well done roast to 160F+.
Step#5: Rest and Carve
- The most important part of this recipe is the resting period! If you cut into your tenderloin too soon, all the juices will spill out and you’ll have a dry piece of meat.
- To keep those juices intact, allow the meat to stay in the hot roasting pan on your cooktop for 10 minutes. This will prevent any additional juice from spilling out onto your board before you slice it.
- Then transfer the tenderloin to a carving board, cover with foil and allow it to rest 10 minutes more.
- I find the flavor is better when the meat is served warm, especially with the chilled horseradish cream.
- Then carve the tenderloin at an angle for the prettiest slices.
Rosemary Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream
This Rosemary Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream is a wonderful main course recipe for Mother's Day or any special occasion. It's seasoned with a rub of fresh rosemary and cracked peppercorns, which rests overnight, flavoring the beef. Then all you have to do the next day is sear the beef and roast!
Ingredients
For Beef:
- 4 lb Swift Boneless Beef Tenderloin
- 2 Tablespoons whole black peppercorns
- 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
For Horseradish Cream:
- 2 cups sour cream
- ¼ cup prepared horseradish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons chives, freshly snipped
Instructions
- Place peppercorns in a resealable plastic bag, seal and whack with a rolling pin or hammer to crush the peppercorns into a coarse grind.
- Place the crushed peppercorns, rosemary, and salt in a bowl, and toss to combine.
- Pat the beef dry with a paper towel, and rub the dry rub all over the beef.
- Place in a shallow casserole dish, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove the beef from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425F.
- Add the oil to a heavy-bottom roasting pan suitable for a stovetop.
- Heat on medium-high until oil shimmers. Then add the beef and allow the meat to sear on all sides for about 5-10 minutes.
- Then place the roasting pan in the oven and roast until a meat thermometer registers at 140F in the thickest part of the cut, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the roasting pan and allow it to rest on your cooktop for 10 minutes. Then transfer the beef to a carving board and cover it with foil for another 10 minutes. The meat is best served warm against the horseradish cream.
- Carve and serve with horseradish cream.
For the horseradish cream:
- Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a wire whisk.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. The horseradish cream can be made a day ahead.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 887Total Fat: 70gSaturated Fat: 28gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 227mgSodium: 373mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 56g