Blue Cheese Crusted Beef Tenderloin, Smashed Red Potatoes with Parmesan Basil Butter and a Warm Asparagus and Grapefruit Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Beef:
4 8 ounce medallions beef tenderloin
Salt & pepper to season
Olive oil for coating
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp chopped rosemary sprigs
3 tbsp blue cheese (crumbled)
2 tbsp fresh bread crumbs
1 tsp chopped chives

For the Potatoes:
12 small red potatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
4 oz. unsalted butter
3 tbsp grated parmesan
1 tbsp chopped garlic
¼ cup chopped basil (fresh)
Salt & pepper to taste

For the Asparagus & Grapefruit Salad:
16 asparagus spears
16 pink grapefruit sections
3 tbsp sesame oil
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp honey
Salt & pepper to taste

To Prepare
For Beef:
In a bowl, combine the rosemary, blue cheese, bread crumbs, chives, butter, salt and pepper to make the blue cheese crust.

Season beef with salt and pepper and rub with a small amount of olive oil. Place beef in a hot skillet and brown on both sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove from pan, top with the blue cheese crust and place in a 375 degree oven until desired temperature of doneness has been reached, about 8-9 minutes for medium rare.

For Potatoes:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, add red potatoes, olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss to cover potatoes. Then place on a baking sheet. Cook potatoes until largest potatoes are soft to the touch, approximately 25-30 minutes. While potatoes are cooking use a mixer to whip the butter, shredded parmesan, chopped garlic, chopped basil and salt and pepper. Add the roasted potatoes to bowl and with a large spoon, smash potatoes to a rough mash.

For Asparagus & Grapefruit Salad:
To prepare the Ginger Vinaigrette, combine the sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, cilantro, lime juice, ginger, garlic, honey and salt & pepper to taste in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt and asparagus. Cook about 3 minutes, then shock in ice water to stop cooking process. In a bowl, add the asparagus spears, grapefruit sections and ginger vinaigrette. Toss lightly.

Wine Pairing
A big, full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia or California to complement the rich flavours of the beef.

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Proprietor  Glynn Williams