Beef Tenderloin with Sauteed Vegetables

Christmas week. They came on the twenty-third, the same cold-drive arrival that Thanksgiving was, and this time Finn was wearing a sweater with a reindeer on it that he'd chosen himself and was very pleased about. Teddy had grown since August — I swear he grows every time I see him — and was carrying himself with a thirteen-year-old's studied casualness that made me smile.

Christmas Eve we made cookies together — the children helping with the molasses cookies the way children do, messy and enthusiastic and not particularly precise, which is exactly right. Finn ate more dough than I could technically recommend but I said nothing. You have to let some things go.

Christmas Day the lamb was the center of it. Bone-in leg, marinated overnight in rosemary and garlic, roasted to medium-rare — the way Helen always did it, and the way I've been doing it since she died. It came out exactly right. The smell of it roasting filled the house from ten in the morning and by the time we sat down at two o'clock everyone was already happy from the anticipation.

After dinner, after the dishes, Sarah and I sat by the woodstove while Jim and the boys went out in the snow — first snow of the season, perfect timing — and she said: this is the first Christmas that felt right. I knew what she meant. Not the same as before. Better than last year. Something like a new version of right, calibrated to what's actually true now rather than what we're missing. I said: I think so too. That was enough for both of us.

I know the lamb is the one I told you about — that’s Helen’s recipe and it stays hers. But more than one person has asked me over the years what I’d suggest for someone who wants that same spirit of a proper holiday roast, the kind that fills the house with a smell that tells everyone the day is real and good, and my answer has always been a beef tenderloin done simply and done right. It has the same quality the lamb has: it rewards patience, it centers the table, and it gives people something to gather around before a single word is spoken.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 beef tenderloin roast (about 2 to 2-1/2 lbs), trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch coins
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Bring to room temperature. Remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking. Pat completely dry with paper towels.
Preheat and season. Preheat oven to 425°F. Rub the tenderloin all over with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then coat evenly with the garlic, rosemary, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper.
Sear the roast. Heat an oven-safe skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sear the tenderloin on all sides until deeply browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Roast to temperature. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 135°F for medium-rare, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and tent loosely with foil; rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Saute the vegetables. While the roast rests, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Add the celery and mushrooms and cook another 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, remaining salt and pepper, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook, stirring, until the broth reduces slightly and vegetables are just tender, about 3 to 4 minutes more.
Slice and serve. Slice the tenderloin into 3/4-inch medallions and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauteed vegetables alongside and drizzle any pan juices over the top.

Nutrition (per serving)

Beef Tenderloin with Sauteed Vegetables — The Roast That Holds the Room Together