By Valentine's Day 2021. Pandemic edition. No babysitter this year — Simone is in Lafayette, COVID risk. So Danielle and I had Valentine's dinner WITH the kids, which Danielle arranged as a "family Valentine's" and which was, honestly, better than any restaurant. I cooked a surf and turf: grilled ribeye and pan-seared shrimp, garlic butter on both, with roasted potatoes and a salad that nobody ate because salad is the enemy of Valentine's Day.
Colette made Valentine's cards for everyone. Luc tolerated the sentimentality. Rémy gave Danielle a card that said "MOM YOU COOK ALMOST AS GOOD AS DAD" which was both a compliment and a burn and which Danielle accepted with the grace of a woman who has been competing with her husband's cooking for sixteen years and who knows, in her heart, that the "almost" is accurate. (It is. Don't tell her I said that. She reads this. Oh no.)
That dinner proved something I’ve always suspected: the most memorable meals happen when expectation goes sideways and you just cook. If you want to bring that same “fancier than it has any right to be” energy to your own table — without firing up a full grill or babysitting a pan of shrimp — this Air Fryer Ground Beef Wellington is exactly the move. It’s the kind of dish that makes kids sit up straight and makes your partner wonder, briefly, whether the “almost” was a little generous.
Air Fryer Ground Beef Wellington
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 18 min | Total Time: 38 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef (85/15)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (about 9×9 inches)
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Cook the mushrooms. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until moisture has evaporated and mushrooms are dry. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
- Season the beef. In a bowl, combine ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined — do not overwork. Shape into a compact log roughly 7 inches long.
- Brush with mustard. Spread Dijon mustard evenly over the outside of the beef log. Press the cooled mushroom mixture gently onto the mustard layer to adhere.
- Wrap in pastry. Lay the puff pastry flat on a lightly floured surface. Place the beef log near one edge and roll tightly, tucking the ends under. Pinch seams firmly to seal. Brush the entire surface with beaten egg.
- Preheat the air fryer. Preheat your air fryer to 380°F for 3 minutes. Lightly spray the basket with cooking spray.
- Air fry. Place the Wellington seam-side down in the basket. Air fry at 380°F for 16–18 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden brown and an internal thermometer reads 160°F for the beef.
- Rest and slice. Remove from the air fryer and let rest 5 minutes before slicing into 1-inch rounds. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 24g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 520mg