This is Ina Garten's method (The Barefoot Contessa) and if I could get it right, anybody can.

FILET OF BEEF
Serves 8 to 10
1 whole filet of beef (4 to 5 pounds), trimmed and tied
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper

1. Heat oven to 500. Place beef on a baking sheet; pat the outside dry with a paper towel. Spread butter on with your hands. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Roast for exactly 22 minutes for rare and 25 minutes for medium rare.

2. Remove from oven; cover tightly with foil and allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Remove the strings and slice the filet thickly.

Serve with Gorgonzola Sauce.

Gorgonzola Sauce

Copyright, 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, All rights reserved

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 3 cups

4 cups heavy cream
3 to 4 ounces crumbly Gorgonzola (not creamy or "dolce")
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Bring the heavy cream to a full boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, then continue to boil rapidly for 45 to 50 minutes, until thickened like a white sauce, stirring occasionally.

Off the heat, add the Gorgonzola, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and parsley. Whisk rapidly until the cheeses melt and serve warm.

If you must reheat, warm the sauce over low heat until melted, then whisk vigorously until the sauce comes together.

Yes, they are whole roasts.

I was also able to pick-up a standing rib roast the other day, a five boner for only $23.58, which is about 60% less than normal. They'd accidently marked the roast at 4.77 a pound, which is what they were selling rib eye steaks. The butcher said their mistake was my gain!

I will try the Ina Garten recipe on one of them and do a garlic rub and grill one of them. My sister's husband loves big thick tenderloins, so maybe I will slice and do the rest as tenderloin steaks.

The Gorganzola Sauce looks like a perfect flavor! We love blue cheese (pungent cheese) flavor with steak!!

My favorite thing to do with this is this:

Sprinkle some garlic powder, worchestershire sauce, olive oil, kitchen bouquet, cracked pepper. Grill it for 15 minutes (turning once during half of cooking time); then wrap it in foil and let it finish cooking in the foil for 15 minutes. Slice to the desired thickness. You can serve it with a favorite sauce (ie., bernaise, gorgonzola) or by itself. I've always received a lot of compliments with this way of cooking it!

Woodie, I saw that recipe also in Ina Book. Do you have any additions or suggestions? I've got a five pound (4.75) roast that I'm doing for Xmas and I don't want to screw it up!

Cuffs, there's really not much you can do to screw up a tenderloin---except overcook it. Watch your internal temperature, and remember the roast will continue to cook while it rests.

For beef, you want it 140 for rare, 150 for medium rare, 160 for medium, 170 for medium well, and 180 for well done---although why anyone would want to do those last two to a great piece of beef escapes me. Pull it from the oven when the thermometer registers 10 degress lower than those figures, tent it with some foil, and let it rest 20 minutes or so.

Here is a good recipe for beef tenderloin.

BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH GREEN PEPPERCORN SAUCE

1 whole beef tenderloin, about 2 to 2 ½ pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
½ medium sweet onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups Marsala wine
1 cup chicken broth
20 to 25 green peppercorns
1 5-ounce can evaporated milk
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard with horseradish
Pepper, freshly ground
Salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season tenderloin with salt and pepper. Put olive oil and butter into a large skillet and heat till hot, then add the tenderloin, searing it for just a few minutes on all sides. Remove from skillet and put into an ovenproof pan and put into hot oven for about 15 to 20 minutes for rare to medium rare.

While tenderloin is in the oven, place the onions in the skillet, which seared the beef, and cook until tender, then add the garlic and cook until tender. Then add the remaining ingredients, wine, broth, peppercorns, evaporated milk, and Dijon, and continue to cook on medium until reduced by about half, or about 20 to 30 minutes. Stir continuously while it is reducing. Remove beef from the oven and let it rest about 5 minutes and then slice into desired thickness and plate it up and cover beef slices with the sauce.

Feeds 4 people with big appetites.

I have served this for Christmas dinner. It's elegant,easy and delicious. I've served it with twiced baked potatoes, fresh green beans, green salad and homemade dinner rolls.
Stuffed Tuscany Tenderloin:
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons drained and chopped dried tomatoes in oil
1 (4-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed
Garnish: fresh parsley sprigs

Sauté onion in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat until tender. Add spinach, salt, and pepper, and sauté 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese and dried tomatoes.
Cut tenderloin lengthwise down center, cutting to, but not through, bottom. Lay flat, and spoon spinach mixture down center of tenderloin. Fold tenderloin over mixture, and tie with string at 1-inch intervals. (Tenderloin won't completely close.) Chill 2 hours, if desired. Place, cut side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Cover exposed filling with a strip of aluminum foil.

Bake at 425° for 50 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of tenderloin registers 145° (medium-rare). Let stand 10 minutes before slicing; garnish, if desired.

Yield: Makes 10 servings

Prepare one small box minute rice, set aside.

In a skillet, brown:

1 1/2 lb ground beef (salt and pepper to taste)

1 chopped onion

1 chopped green pepper

1 drained small can mushrooms

Brown 10-15 minutes, drain fat. Add:

1 can mushroom soup

1/2 to 3/4 can of milk

All of cooked rice

Simmer about 15 minutes, then add 1 small carton of sour cream and simmer a few minutes more (sour cream will become thin if heated too long.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Beef Recipes

* 3 pounds beef tenderloin, in 1 piece
* 1 pound mushrooms, washed, quartered
* 6 potatoes, peeled, sliced
* 2 tablespoons butter
* ½ cup water
* Seasonings to taste

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients in a roasting pan.
2. Bake in moderate oven for 35 minutes.
3. Then serve.

Here is a link that might be useful: Beef Recipes

Thanks for all the ideas! Two of the invitees had to cancel, so beef stays in freezer. I'll do a small leg of lamb.