I did mention that the sensational version of this dish is all in the presentation and instead of using beef tenderloin you will need the same amount of beef fillet.I also used spaghetti squash as a garnish.All you do with that is cut the squash in half, bake for about forty five minutes and shred with a fork.Traditionally you also used tons of butter and salt, which is not quite where we are going here with our virtuous lower calorie dishes, so instead I use a little avocado oil and a teaspoon of maple sugar.Prepare the beef as in the simple version, but instead of slicing thinly and serving on a large platter, slice into one inch pieces.Slice squares of the roast vegetables (I have a square cookie cutter which makes this easy) place a square of the roast vegetables on each plate, top with one or two slices of the beef and a little spaghetti squash.Pour a little sauce around the beef and serve immediately.
Method Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.Combine the garlic, rosemary and mustard in a small bowl.Put the fillet in a roasting dish with a little oil spray or a little oil if you are not watching every calorie and coat the beef with the mustard mixture.Cooking time will depend on how you like your beef cooked.My rough rule of thumb for a medium to medium rare tenderloin is about 20 minutes per pound, but the best this to do is to get a meat thermometer, saves you using the “slice and see” method of meat cookery.Test the meat and take it out of the over at a little less than the temperature you need.For example if you like your beef medium you want an internal temperature of between 140 and 150 degrees.If you take the beef out of the oven just slightly before that it will continue to cook while it rests and you will have the perfect medium.Always rest you beef for five to ten minutes before you serve it, otherwise you will lose all the juices.After the beef has rested, pour any of the juices that have accumulated in the resting plate into the sauce.
Marsala Sauce
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic ˝ cup very finely chopped shallots 1 teaspoon vegetable oil ˝ cup marsala 1 cup beef stock 1 cup veal demi glace 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 4 star anise Method Sauté the garlic and shallots in a saucepan with the vegetable oil until just transparent, do not allow them to brown.If you want to keep the fat right down use a regular fry pan (not non stick) with a little oil spray.Add marsala, demi glace, beef stock, vinegar, and star anise and reduce the heat.Simmer the sauce until it has reduced to about one cup, about half an hour.The sauce can be made in advance and reheated before serving, but I would recommend that you reduce to about one and a quarter cups so that when you reheat you actually finish the cooking.Add a little salt and pepper to taste.
Per Serve
Calories
Fat
Sodium
Carbs
Fiber
Protein
253
9 g
192 mg
3 g
0 g
33 g
Baked Vegetables (Serves, it’s difficult to say really as it depends on how big your slices are, but at least 12)
There is really only one thing that can go wrong with this dish, other than burning it to a crisp and it is basically a consequence of rushing.When you make this dish you must make sure that the spinach is completely defrosted and very very well drained.By this I mean put it into a clean dish towel and wring out all the water.If you don’t, you will end up turning a beautiful roasted vegetable dish into a sloppy steamed mess.I know this to be the case because I made that mistake and whilst my guests were very kind, my husband, who had had the dish made properly, was not.Much as I hate to admit it, he was right.
Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes 5 medium potatoes 1 medium onion 500g frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and very well drained (you could use fresh, boiled, blanched and chopped, but seriously, frozen is fine) 1 ˝ tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon of lite butter 2 cups skim milk 1/3 cup shredded low fat tasty cheese 1 clove of garlic, crushed
Method
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour.Cook for about a minute.Add the milk and the garlic clove and simmer until thickened and the garlic clove is soft.Add the cheese and stir to a smooth sauce.Slice the potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions into half centimeter (or thereabout) slices.I use the largest setting on a mandolin slicer because it’s faster and I am lazy, but you can just as easily use a knife.In a 23 x 23 centimeter baking dish layer half the potato slices, then half the onion slices, half the spinach and finally half the sweet potato slices.Cover with ˝ cup of the cheese sauce.Repeat with the remaining vegetables and cover with the remaining sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for one hour and fifteen minutes.Uncover and bake for an additional fifteen minutes or until the top is browned.Serve immediately.
