Horseradish-Crusted Beef Tenderloin

By pattie_d

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/2 to the amount in step 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons. Add the gelatin to the horseradish paste at the last moment, or the mixture will become unspreadable. If desired, serve the roast with Horseradish Cream Sauce (recipe follows;
• INGREDIENTS
• 1 1 2 beef tenderloin center-cut Châteaubriand (about 2 pounds), trimmed of fat and silver skin
• Kosher salt (see note)
• 3 3 3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
• 1 1 2 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 1 1/4 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 1 1 1/2 shallot , minced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
• 2 2 2 2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup well-drained prepared horseradish (see note)
• 2 2 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 1 6 small russet potato (about 6 ounces), peeled and grated on large holes of box grater
• 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin (see

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from americastestkitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Sprinkle roast with 1 tablespoon salt, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour or refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Toss bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in 10-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and cool to room temperature (wipe out skillet). Once cool, toss bread crumbs with shallot, garlic, 2 tablespoons horseradish, parsley, and thyme.

3. Rinse grated potato under cold water, then squeeze dry in kitchen towel. Transfer potatoes and remaining cup oil to 10-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until potatoes are golden brown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to paper towel-lined plate and season lightly with salt; let cool for 5 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon oil from skillet and discard remainder. Once potatoes are cool, transfer to quart-size zipper-lock bag and crush until coarsely ground. Transfer potatoes to baking sheet with bread-crumb mixture and toss to combine.

4. Pat exterior of tenderloin dry with paper towels and sprinkle evenly with remaining teaspoon pepper. Heat reserved tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear tenderloin until well browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and let rest 10 minutes.

5. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons horseradish, mayonnaise, and mustard in small bowl. Just before coating tenderloin, add gelatin and stir to combine. Spread horseradish paste on top and sides of meat, leaving bottom and ends bare. Roll coated sides of tenderloin in bread-crumb mixture, pressing gently so crumbs adhere in even layer that just covers horseradish paste; pat off any excess.

6. Return tenderloin to wire rack. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 120 to 125 degrees for medium-rare, 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Transfer roast to carving board and let rest 20 minutes. Carefully cut meat crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve.

TECHNIQUE
SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
A simple egg wash is the usual choice for binding a bread-crumb coating to meat, but it didn't work for our slippery horseradish-bread-crumb mixture. Could we do better by replacing the egg white with gelatin?

THE EXPERIMENT

We prepared two pastes, one made with egg white, horseradish, mayonnaise, and mustard and a second where we substituted 1/2 teaspoon of gelatin for the egg white. We applied each paste to a beef tenderloin and then cooked the roasts according to our recipe.

THE RESULTS

The gelatin paste kept the bread crumbs attached to meat much better than the egg version. It also had a slight elasticity and allowed it to remain firmly stuck to the meat as we sliced.

THE EXPLANATION

Meat and gelatin have a natural affinity. Both are made up of linear proteins that are able to form tight bonds with each other. The proteins in egg whites, on the other hand, are globular (wound up like balls of yarn). Although egg whites do eventually stretch into more linear shapes when heated, they still form a weaker bond with meat than gelatin.

TECHNIQUE
CRISPER TENDERLOIN COATING
Fried potato shreds made for a far crisper—and more flavorful—crust than the typical bread-crumb coating.


1. GRATE potato on large holes of box grater for thin slivers that will crisp up quickly.


2. RINSE shreds to remove surface starch, then squeeze dry in kitchen towel.


3. FRY potatoes in oil to create savory crumbles that keep their crunch.