Mustard and Garlic Roast Fillet

Ingredients

Cooks in:15-20 minutes        Serves:4

For the Fillet

• 3 garlic cloves, cut into thirds
• 1 beef fillet, about 750g
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp mustard seeds (optional)
• 1 Tbsp black peppercorns, roughly crushed
• Generous pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

• 1 Tbsp peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup cream
• Salt to taste

What to do

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. With the tip of a knife, pierce the fillet to make about eight incisions and push a slice of garlic into each one. Spread the fillet with the mustard, 1 Tbsp olive oil, mustard seeds, black pepper, and season with salt.

2. Heat a large pan on high until very hot and the pan starts to smoke. Add the remaining olive oil and sear the fillet, turning occasionally, for 5 minutes or until brown all over. Transfer to an oven-proof dish and roast for a further 15 minutes (for medium rare), or until cooked to your liking. Remove, set aside, cover with tin foil and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. This will ensure the meat is as tender as possible.

3. After 10 minutes, add the juices from the rested fillet back to the pan on the stove-top, add the remaining sauce ingredients, leave to thicken for 3-5 minutes stirring from time to time.

Photo from 'Sarah Graham's Food Safari' by Ricardo de Leça.

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