How to Prepare a Stuffed Beef Tenderloin?

A beef roulade is many things; elegant, delicious, and beautiful, but one thing it is not is complicated.

That is part of the beauty of this dish, with some simple steps and basic knife skills you can impress your friends and family with this mouth-watering classic.

HOW TO BUTTERFLY THE TENDERLOIN?

In our last installment of the Whole Tenderloin series, we showed you how to break down an entire beef tenderloin for use in three separate recipes. Here we will focus on the head section and how to prepare it in our featured recipe, seared beef Roulade with roasted garlic goat cheese, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes.

First, we need to break down the head and get it ready to butterfly. Start by removing the large side muscle and setting the smaller section aside. Make a slice from end to end, stopping about a ½ inch above the board. Turn the knife sideways and, with long sweeping strokes, start rolling the meat back as you cut. Make sure you do not cut through the muscle or cut too thin as this will create weak spots where the filling could spill out.

Once you have butterflied the first section, use the same technique on the second muscle. This side is a little more uneven and will require a little more care. Take your time and try to make a nice even open layer of meat.

ROASTED GARLIC GOAT CHEESE AND FILLING

Roasting garlic is easy and is a wonderful ingredient to keep in your refrigerator. You can use in everything from salad dressings to dips to add the sweet and subtle flavor of garlic.

Remove the excess paper wrapping papery skin from the outside of the garlic then cut off the top 1/4^th of the bulb.

Set the garlic on a piece of foil doubled over and bend the edges up a little to form a cup. Pour ¼ cup of olive oil over the head then fold the foil over to make a sealed package. You can double the oil for two heads. Two heads of garlic are the maximum amount number of heads per package.

Place the pouch in a 400°F (205°C) preheated oven and roast for 30-40 minutes or till the cloves are fully soft to the touch. Remove the pouch from the oven and let cool. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle drain, the oil and remove the garlic, make sure to save that infused garlic oil.

Give the cloves a gentle squeeze from the bottom to extract the garlic. Save the roasted garlic cloves in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

FILLING, ROLLING, TYING

Make the goat cheese spread by mixing the softened goat cheese, garlic cloves, cracked black pepper, oregano, and thyme together then set aside.

Heat a skillet over high heat then add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and heat till it shimmers. Add the spinach, salt, and pepper then toss with a pair of tongs till the spinach is just wilted. Remove and set on a plate with several layers of paper towels. When cool squeeze a few times to remove most of the water. Do not overcook the spinach. It will continue to wilt when off the heat.

Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap on your counter. Place the beef on the plastic and then another sheet of plastic on top. Using a heavy small skillet or the side of a meat mallet flatten the beef gently till it’s an even thickness, around ½ inch.

Remove the top layer of plastic wrap and brush the beef with the reserved roasted garlic oil. Season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.

Spread an even layer of the goat cheese mixture over the surface. Next add the spinach in a thin layer, followed by the sun-dried tomatoes.

Gently, roll the beef like a jelly roll and then secure with either butcher’s twine or toothpicks.

HOW TO SEAR AND ROAST THE BEEF ROULADE?

Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat and add some olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the beef and sear the meat till deeply browned and you have one side left to sear, make this side the seam side. Place the seam side down on the pan, insert your Chefstemp Quad XPro probe into the center of the beef, then put the pan into the oven. Roast till the beef reaches an internal temperature of 118°F (48°C).

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Remove from the oven and place the beef on a separate plate to rest for 10-12 minutes. Do not remove the toothpicks or butchers’ twine till the beef is fully rested. Remove the toothpicks or twine and slice across the grain of the meat into half-inch slices.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tenderloin head
• 4 oz fresh goat cheese softened
• 1 head garlic, we will use 6 cloves
• Olive oil
• 1T dry oregano
• 1T dry thyme
• Black pepper, kosher salt
• 12 oz fresh spinach
• 6 oz sundried tomato strips in oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Roasted Garlic

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
• Remove any excess papery skin and outer layers. Make sure to keep the head together.
• Cut the top ¼ of the bulb off. Use a sharp knife for this and be gentle so you don’t break up the head.
• Double layer some aluminum foil then place the garlic on the foil. Pinch up the sides and add 1/4^thcup of olive oil. Fold the edges over and seal up the garlic in a pouch.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes till the garlic is golden brown and soft. Let this cool then squeeze the garlic out of each clove. Strain the oil and save.

Prepare the Filling

• Mix the roasted garlic, oregano, thyme, and black pepper together till you form a smooth mixture.
• In a skillet over high heat add some olive oil and heat till it shimmers. Add all the spinach, a little salt and black pepper then toss together in the pan till just wilted. Remove to a plate lined with several layers of paper towels. Let cool. Do not overcook the spinach.  It will continue to wilt when off the heat.
• Once cool give the spinach a few squeezes to remove some of the water.

Prepare Your Tenderloin

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C).
• Using a sharp thin knife separate the two main muscles of the head then make a cut down the center of the beef without going all the way through.
• Turn your knife sideways and continue to slice horizontally, without piercing the meat, till you have opened the entire site to a consistent thickness.
• Repeat the process with the other side till you have fully opened the meat.
• Layout a piece of plastic wrap on your table, top with the beef, then top with another sheet of plastic wrap. Using a small skillet, or the side of a meat mallet, gently pound the meat to a uniform thickness.
• Remove the top layer of plastic wrap and brush the meat with the roasted garlic oil. Season both sides with salt and black pepper.
• Spread an even layer of goat cheese across the meat.
• Top the goat cheese with a layer of spinach then the sundried tomato strips.
• Gently, roll beef up tightly and secure with either toothpicks or butcher’s twine.
• Heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium high heat and add some olive oil. Heat till the oil shimmers then add the beef seam side up. The seam side will be the last side you sear.
• Sear the meat till deeply browned, when you have one side left to brown (the seam side) place this side down, insert your Chefstemp Quad XPro probe into the center of the beef, then put the pan into the oven.
• Roast till the beef reaches an internal temperature of 118°F (48°C).
• Remove from the oven and place the beef on a separate plate to rest for 10-12 minutes. Do not remove the toothpicks or butchers’ twine till the beef is fully rested.
• Remove the toothpicks or twine and slice across the grain of the meat in half-inch thick slices.