Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Filet Mignon with Garlic Pecorino Mashed Potatoes
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
40 minutes (plus 45 minutes salting)
55 minutes
2 hours 20 minutes
Serves:
4 servings
Ryan Kate and Kayla created this dish for MasterChef ™ Season 15. Gordon Ramsay praised the seasoning of the filet as beautifully done, and that generous coarse salting, applied well ahead of cooking, is preserved here exactly as it was. This Fix-It version leaves the concept untouched and corrects...
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Ingredients
FOR THE FILET MIGNON: 4 x 6 oz / 170 g centre-cut filet mignon steaks, all thesame thickness - ask for 1.5" 2 tsp / 10 g coarse sea salt - the praised element, be generous 1 1/2 tsp / 5 g coarse black pepper, cracked rather than ground fine 1 tbsp / 15 ml neutral high-smoke oil (grapeseed or refined rapeseed) 2 tbsp / 30 g unsalted butter, for the basting stage only 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed, skin on 3 sprigs thyme, optional, for basting
FOR THE HONEY-GLAZED CARROTS: 1 lb / 450 g carrots, peeled and cut on the bias to 1/2 in / 1 cm 1/2 tsp / 3 g salt, plus a heavy hand in the blanching water 1 1/2 tbsp / 20 g unsalted butter 2 tbsp / 40 g mild honey - a strong honey will bully the plate 2 tsp / 10 ml lemon juice, to cut the sweetness
FOR THE CHIMICHURRI: 1 cup packed / 30 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped by hand 2 tbsp / 6 g fresh oregano, or 2 tsp dried 3 cloves garlic, minced very fine 3 tbsp / 45 ml red wine vinegar 3/4 tsp / 4 g salt 1/2 cup / 120 ml good-quality olive oil - it is most of the sauce 1/2 tsp / 2 g red pepper flakes, to taste
FOR THE GARLIC PECORINO MASHED POTATOES: 2 lb / 900 g floury potatoes (Russet or Maris Piper), peeled and cut into even chunks Fine salt, to taste - and season the cooking water heavily as well 3/4 cup / 180 ml whole milk, warmed - cold milk seizes the starch 4 cloves garlic, simmered whole in the milk and mashed in 5 tbsp / 70 g unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature 3/4 cup / 60 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated, added off the heat 1/4 tsp / 1 g white pepper, optional
FOR THE ROASTED ASPARAGUS: 1 lb / 450 g asparagus spears, medium thickness and matched, not mixed 1 tbsp / 15 ml olive oil 1/2 tsp / 3 g flaky sea salt, applied after roasting
EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Instant Read Thermometer - non-negotiable; it is the single fix for two of the five faults Wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, for the low-oven stage Heavy 10-12 inch cast-iron skillet Potato ricer or food mill - a masher will do; a food processor will not Two saucepans - one for the potatoes, one for blanching Large bowl of iced water, for shocking the carrots Second rimmed baking sheet, preheated, for the asparagus Fine microplane, for the garlic and the pecorino Sharp knife and a board reserved for resting
Method
STEP 1: SEASON THE STEAKS - DO NOT ALTER
Pat the filet mignon steaks completely dry. Season every face - top, bottom and the full circumference of the side - generously with coarse sea salt and cracked coarse black pepper. Set them on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and leave uncovered at room temperature for 45 minutes. The salt first draws moisture out, then that seasoned moisture is reabsorbed, seasoning the meat through rather than only at the surface. This is the element Gordon Ramsay praised and it is preserved here exactly: do not reduce the salt, do not substitute a rub, and do not season only at the pan.
STEP 2: BLANCH THE CARROTS
Bring a saucepan of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the bias-cut carrots and boil for 4-5 minutes, until a knife tip meets almost no resistance. Drain and drop them straight into a large bowl of iced water to stop the cooking and hold the colour. Drain again and set aside dry. The carrots are now cooked; the glaze later is a finish, not a cooking stage. This is the correction Joe Bastianich prescribed at the pass, it costs nothing, and it can be done hours ahead.
STEP 3: MAKE THE CHIMICHURRI
Chop the flat-leaf parsley and fresh oregano by hand - a processor bruises the leaves and turns the sauce muddy and bitter. Combine with the finely minced garlic, red wine vinegar and salt, and leave for 10 minutes so the raw edge of the garlic softens in the acid. Whisk in the olive oil and red pepper flakes. Leave at room temperature. It improves over an hour and should not be refrigerated before serving, which dulls the flavour and solidifies the oil.
STEP 4: THE LOW OVEN - REVERSE SEAR, PART ONE
Heat the oven to 120C / 250F. Place the seasoned filets on the wire rack over the baking sheet, well spaced, and cook for 25-35 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre of each individual steak reads 46C / 115F. Probe every steak separately - even matched filets vary, and timing them as a batch is precisely how three steaks end up seared completely differently. Remove and set aside uncovered while the oven climbs to 230C / 450F, with a second rimmed baking sheet inside to preheat.
STEP 5: MASH THE POTATO
Cover the potato chunks with cold, heavily salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15-18 minutes until they yield entirely to a knife. While they cook, warm the whole milk in a small pan with the four whole garlic cloves and hold at a bare simmer for 10 minutes, then crush the softened garlic into the milk. Drain the potatoes and return them to the dry pan over low heat for 30 seconds to drive off the last of the moisture. Pass through a ricer, or mash thoroughly. Beat in the butter, then the warm garlic milk in stages. Off the heat, fold in the grated Pecorino Romano. Season with fine salt and white pepper. Keep warm covered over a pan of hot water, never over direct heat, which will turn it gluey.
STEP 6: ROAST THE ASPARAGUS - HOT AND SHORT
Snap or trim the woody ends from the asparagus and, if the spears are thick, peel the lower third so the whole spear cooks at one rate. Toss with olive oil. Lay the spears on the preheated tray in a single layer with real space between them - a crowded, cold tray is what produces the mush Tiffany Derry described. Roast for 6-8 minutes only; they should still have a distinct snap. Finish with flaky sea salt off the tray, not before.
STEP 7: SEAR THE STEAKS - REVERSE SEAR, PART TWO
Pat the rested filets dry again. Heat the dry cast-iron skillet over high heat until it is genuinely smoking, then add the oil. Sear all four filets in one pan, in one batch, placed within a few seconds of one another - this is the mechanical answer to the inconsistency fault. If the pan will not hold four without crowding, use two pans side by side rather than searing in waves. Sear 45-60 seconds per face, then stand each steak on its edge with tongs to colour the circumference. Add the butter, crushed garlic and thyme, tilt the pan and baste for 30 seconds. Pull at an internal 51-52C / 124-126F, probing each steak individually. Rest on the reserved board for 8 minutes; carryover will bring them to a true medium rare of roughly 54-55C / 130-131F.
STEP 8: GLAZE THE CARROTS
While the steaks rest, melt the butter in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the blanched carrots in a single layer and let them take a little colour, about 2 minutes. Add the honey and salt, toss to coat, and cook 2 minutes more until glossy and lightly caramelised. Off the heat, add the lemon juice and toss. Total time in the pan is under five minutes, because the carrots are already cooked.
STEP 9: PLATE - IN THIS ORDER
Warm the plates. Build each one to a fixed sequence rather than assembling whatever happens to be ready. First, a swipe or quenelle of the mashed potato slightly off centre - not a mound. Second, the filet set against it, whole and unsliced, best-coloured face upward. Third, the asparagus spears laid in one direction with all the tips the same way. Fourth, the carrots grouped rather than scattered. Fifth, the chimichurri last: a restrained spoonful over or beside the steak, plus a thin line on the plate. Wipe the rims and serve immediately. Slice the filets only if every steak has come out at the same temperature, since a sliced filet is an audit of your own consistency.
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Instructions
FOR THE FILET MIGNON:
4 x 6 oz / 170 g centre-cut filet mignon steaks, all the same thickness - ask for 1 1/2 in / 4 cm
2 tsp / 10 g coarse sea salt - the praised element, be generous
1 1/2 tsp / 5 g coarse black pepper, cracked rather than ground fine
1 tbsp / 15 ml neutral high-smoke oil (grapeseed or refined rapeseed)
2 tbsp / 30 g unsalted butter, for the basting stage only
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed, skin on
3 sprigs thyme, optional, for basting
FOR THE HONEY-GLAZED CARROTS:
1 lb / 450 g carrots, peeled and cut on the bias to 1/2 in / 1 cm
1/2 tsp / 3 g salt, plus a heavy hand in the blanching water
1 1/2 tbsp / 20 g unsalted butter
2 tbsp / 40 g mild honey - a strong honey will bully the plate
2 tsp / 10 ml lemon juice, to cut the sweetness
FOR THE CHIMICHURRI:
1 cup packed / 30 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped by hand
2 tbsp / 6 g fresh oregano, or 2 tsp dried
3 cloves garlic, minced very fine
3 tbsp / 45 ml red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp / 4 g salt
1/2 cup / 120 ml good-quality olive oil - it is most of the sauce
1/2 tsp / 2 g red pepper flakes, to taste
FOR THE GARLIC PECORINO MASHED POTATOES:
2 lb / 900 g floury potatoes (Russet or Maris Piper), peeled and cut into even chunks
Fine salt, to taste - and season the cooking water heavily as well
3/4 cup / 180 ml whole milk, warmed - cold milk seizes the starch
4 cloves garlic, simmered whole in the milk and mashed in
5 tbsp / 70 g unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
3/4 cup / 60 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated, added off the heat
1/4 tsp / 1 g white pepper, optional
FOR THE ROASTED ASPARAGUS:
1 lb / 450 g asparagus spears, medium thickness and matched, not mixed
1 tbsp / 15 ml olive oil
1/2 tsp / 3 g flaky sea salt, applied after roasting
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Instant-read digital thermometer - non-negotiable; it is the single fix for two of the five faults
Wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, for the low-oven stage
Heavy 10-12 inch cast-iron skillet
Potato ricer or food mill - a masher will do; a food processor will not
Two saucepans - one for the potatoes, one for blanching
Large bowl of iced water, for shocking the carrots
Second rimmed baking sheet, preheated, for the asparagus
Fine microplane, for the garlic and the pecorino
Sharp knife and a board reserved for resting the steaks
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: SEASON THE STEAKS - DO NOT ALTER
Pat the filet mignon steaks completely dry. Season every face - top, bottom and the full circumference of the side - generously with coarse sea salt and cracked coarse black pepper. Set them on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and leave uncovered at room temperature for 45 minutes. The salt first draws moisture out, then that seasoned moisture is reabsorbed, seasoning the meat through rather than only at the surface. This is the element Gordon Ramsay praised and it is preserved here exactly: do not reduce the salt, do not substitute a rub, and do not season only at the pan.
STEP 2: BLANCH THE CARROTS
Bring a saucepan of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the bias-cut carrots and boil for 4-5 minutes, until a knife tip meets almost no resistance. Drain and drop them straight into a large bowl of iced water to stop the cooking and hold the colour. Drain again and set aside dry. The carrots are now cooked; the glaze later is a finish, not a cooking stage. This is the correction Joe Bastianich prescribed at the pass, it costs nothing, and it can be done hours ahead.
STEP 3: MAKE THE CHIMICHURRI
Chop the flat-leaf parsley and fresh oregano by hand - a processor bruises the leaves and turns the sauce muddy and bitter. Combine with the finely minced garlic, red wine vinegar and salt, and leave for 10 minutes so the raw edge of the garlic softens in the acid. Whisk in the olive oil and red pepper flakes. Leave at room temperature. It improves over an hour and should not be refrigerated before serving, which dulls the flavour and solidifies the oil.
STEP 4: THE LOW OVEN - REVERSE SEAR, PART ONE
Heat the oven to 120C / 250F. Place the seasoned filets on the wire rack over the baking sheet, well spaced, and cook for 25-35 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre of each individual steak reads 46C / 115F. Probe every steak separately - even matched filets vary, and timing them as a batch is precisely how three steaks end up seared completely differently. Remove and set aside uncovered while the oven climbs to 230C / 450F, with a second rimmed baking sheet inside to preheat.
STEP 5: MASH THE POTATO
Cover the potato chunks with cold, heavily salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15-18 minutes until they yield entirely to a knife. While they cook, warm the whole milk in a small pan with the four whole garlic cloves and hold at a bare simmer for 10 minutes, then crush the softened garlic into the milk. Drain the potatoes and return them to the dry pan over low heat for 30 seconds to drive off the last of the moisture. Pass through a ricer, or mash thoroughly. Beat in the butter, then the warm garlic milk in stages. Off the heat, fold in the grated Pecorino Romano. Season with fine salt and white pepper. Keep warm covered over a pan of hot water, never over direct heat, which will turn it gluey.
STEP 6: ROAST THE ASPARAGUS - HOT AND SHORT
Snap or trim the woody ends from the asparagus and, if the spears are thick, peel the lower third so the whole spear cooks at one rate. Toss with olive oil. Lay the spears on the preheated tray in a single layer with real space between them - a crowded, cold tray is what produces the mush Tiffany Derry described. Roast for 6-8 minutes only; they should still have a distinct snap. Finish with flaky sea salt off the tray, not before.
STEP 7: SEAR THE STEAKS - REVERSE SEAR, PART TWO
Pat the rested filets dry again. Heat the dry cast-iron skillet over high heat until it is genuinely smoking, then add the oil. Sear all four filets in one pan, in one batch, placed within a few seconds of one another - this is the mechanical answer to the inconsistency fault. If the pan will not hold four without crowding, use two pans side by side rather than searing in waves. Sear 45-60 seconds per face, then stand each steak on its edge with tongs to colour the circumference. Add the butter, crushed garlic and thyme, tilt the pan and baste for 30 seconds. Pull at an internal 51-52C / 124-126F, probing each steak individually. Rest on the reserved board for 8 minutes; carryover will bring them to a true medium rare of roughly 54-55C / 130-131F.
STEP 8: GLAZE THE CARROTS
While the steaks rest, melt the butter in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the blanched carrots in a single layer and let them take a little colour, about 2 minutes. Add the honey and salt, toss to coat, and cook 2 minutes more until glossy and lightly caramelised. Off the heat, add the lemon juice and toss. Total time in the pan is under five minutes, because the carrots are already cooked.
STEP 9: PLATE - IN THIS ORDER
Warm the plates. Build each one to a fixed sequence rather than assembling whatever happens to be ready. First, a swipe or quenelle of the mashed potato slightly off centre - not a mound. Second, the filet set against it, whole and unsliced, best-coloured face upward. Third, the asparagus spears laid in one direction with all the tips the same way. Fourth, the carrots grouped rather than scattered. Fifth, the chimichurri last: a restrained spoonful over or beside the steak, plus a thin line on the plate. Wipe the rims and serve immediately. Slice the filets only if every steak has come out at the same temperature, since a sliced filet is an audit of your own consistency.
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