by Karen Frazier

I’m excited to share this one with you. It makes a great special occasion meal. We had it for New Year’s Eve, but you can make it any time. I wanted to wait to post the recipe until I’d fully developed it – wouldn’t want to steer you wrong, but with this combination of flavors it was pretty hard to go wrong.

This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, and paleo.

Tips:

• I made the duxelle a day ahead of time and refrigerated it so it was completely cool before I put it in the beef tenderloin.
• Marinate the tenderloin overnight.
• Put the tenderloin on on the counter for an hour before cooking it to bring it to room temperature.
• Save the marinade to combine with a few extra ingredients to make the sauce. Boil the marinade for five minutes to  cook out any bacteria.
• To butterfly the tenderloin, slice it lengthwise about halfway through the meat, and then slice horizontally into each side of the cut. Fold the meat outward to make a flat fillet.
• I use a spiralizer for the shoestring potatoes. However, you can also use a mandolin on the thinnest setting, or even grate the sweet potatoes.
• For super low-carb, eliminate the sweet potatoes.
• If you’re not comfortable cooking with wine for paleo meals, then eliminate the sauce, skip the marinade, and replace the wine in the duxelle with homemade beef broth.
• While you can roast the beef in the oven, if you’ve got a smoker, I highly recommend using it.

For the duxelle:

• 2 tablespoons duck fat (or some other paleo-friendly fat)
• 1 pound crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 cup red wine

For the marinade:

• 1 cup red wine
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the tenderloin:

• 1 5-pound beef tenderloin, butterflied
• 1 pound thick-sliced pepper bacon

For the sauce:

• Leftover marinade
• 1 cup homemade beef broth
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

For the sweet potato strips:

• 1 sweet potato, peeled, sliced, and cut into very thin shoestrings
• 2 tablespoons duck fat (or other paleo-friendly fat)
• Sea salt

For the duxelle:

1. In a large saute pan, heat the duck fat until it melts and shimmers.
2. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated, five to seven minutes.
3. Add the shallots, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for another five minutes, until shallots are soft and mixture is dry.
4. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
5. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid evaporates.
6. Refrigerate the duxelle and allow it to completely cool before using in the roast.

For the marinade and roast:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well combined.
2. Place the butterflied roast in a flat dish and pour the marinade over the top, covering the beef.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours.
4. Heat the oven to 375 (or, we used a smoker – heat that to 375).
5. Remove the roast from the marinade and pat it dry. Reserve the marinade for the sauce.
6. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap, and lay the strips of bacon in it in a row, slightly overlapping.
7. Place the roast on top of the bacon strips. Spread the roast with the chilled duxelle. Use the plastic wrap to roll the bacon completely around the roast. Tie the roast with butcher’s twine to keep the bacon in place.
8. Heat a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the roast and cook, searing the bacon on each side until it begins to brown, three to five minutes per side.
9. Move the sauté pan to the preheated oven and cook until a thermometer reads 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit, about 30 minutes.
10. Remove the roast from the oven and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

For the sauce:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the reserved marinade over medium-high heat until it boils. Boil, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk in the remaining ingredients (except salt and pepper). Simmer until the liquid thickens and reduces, about 20 minutes.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the sweet potatoes:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a small bowl, toss together the sweet potato strips, melted duck fat, and sea salt.
3. Pour the potatoes onto the parchment-lined pan in a single layer.
4. Bake until the potatoes are crispy, 20 to 25 minutes.

To serve: After resting the roast for 20 minutes, slice it and carefully remove the twine. Spoon the sauce over each piece of beef and top with the crispy sweet potatoes. For sides, we served garlic sautéed green beans and a green salad.

photo credit: CraftyGoat via photopin cc