Marinated Beef Fillet with a "Brilliant" Potato & Horseradish Cake

The flavors of this dish make it a perfect addition to your weekend dinner menu – a great modern twist on the traditional meat and potatoes. The rosemary and garlic infused meat are a fine accompaniment to the horseradish potato cake. The recipe itself is great, however, the way it was written on Jamie Oliver’s site was a little confusing so we’ve made it easier to read here.

We decided to show this dish using different cuts of meat to see how well the flavors translate and how easy it would be using something you may already have in your kitchen. Monica used beef tenderloin and Caitlin used rib-eye steaks. Sticking to the original recipe and using a roast or tri-tip would be ideal, but these also work when that’s not an option, and the flavor really comes through no matter what cut you use.

Caitlin: The rosemary in this dish is fantastic – it was a great compliment to the slight tang from the horseradish potato cakes. I’m used to making potato pancakes on the stove, so making a large one in the oven was a little scary – I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but it ended up being a nice crispy side for the tender meat. I opted to use rib-eye steaks simply because I wanted to try something different and my butcher had some nice ones to offer. The rosemary and garlic flavor went well with the red wine and butter gravy that Jamie suggests. Overall, the flavor was well worth the work. I decided to serve it with roasted beets, which were a nice sweet side to the meat and potatoes.

Monica: I do have to admit I thought the title of the recipe, although a bit wordy, was quite charming.  Who doesn’t want to eat a “brilliant” potato cake? I prefer to bake things instead of frying them when possible, so I was happy to do so with this potato recipe. The recipe doesn’t call for it, but I also added some dill to my potatoes. The result was tasty and perfectly crisp. I also chose a different cut of meat.  I marinated beef tenderloin and it was tender and very well seasoned.  The finishing sauce was also delicious, however, I made my sauce a bit lighter and used only 1 cup of wine and 2 tbs of butter. It still complimented the beef perfectly. 


Ingredient List
Beef Fillet
tenderloin, steak (rib-eye or fillet mignon) or 2lb roast
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
2 handfuls fresh rosemary sprigs
1 bulb of garlic, broken up, cloves left whole w/skins on
5 tbs extra virgin olive oil
kitchen twine/string
1-2 cups of red wine (amount, according to your preference)
2 tbs - 1 stick of butter (again, depending on your preference)

Potato & Horseradish Cake
3lbs red potatoes, peeled & sliced (1/4" thick)
3 tbs creamed horseradish
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
fresh dill, (optional)

Method

Prepare your beef with the marinade.  First, season the fillet with salt and pepper (be generous). In a pestle and mortar (or food processor) bash up a quarter of the rosemary with a clove of garlic and make a paste. Add 5 tbs of extra virgin olive to the paste and rub all over the beef.  If using the roast or tenderloin, tie the beef up with 4 pieces of string then poke the rosemary sprigs under the string. If using a fillet or ribeye, rub the marinade over the steak and lay flat.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the beef aside and let the marinade soak in for a few minutes. Now, get ready to prepare your potato cake. 


Parboil your sliced potatoes in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and transfer to a bowl with just enough olive oil to coat the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.  If using fresh dill, you can also add that to the mix. Use a non-stick cake tin and place half of the potatoes into the tin or pan, smearing the creamed horseradish on top.  Place the rest of the potatoes on top and pat down. Put the potatoes in the oven on the bottom shelf for 25 minutes.

Once the potatoes are in the oven, brown the roast or tenderloin in a snug fitting roasting tray until all sides are browned.  Add the garlic cloves to the tray, place the beef on top of them and put in the oven on the top shelf.  Cook the beef for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, turn the beef over, baste it, and add the red wine and butter to the tray. 
If using fillet or ribeye, you can pan fry it in a skillet - depending on how thick, about 4-5 minutes per side - if using  thick cut, finish it off in the oven. Take out and let rest then add the butter and wine to the pan and scrape up the meaty bits. A note: if using these cuts, you'll want to start the potatoes and nearly finish them off before cooking the meat otherwise the meat will get cold by the time the potatoes are done.

After 25 minutes of cooking, remove the potato dish then carefully place a clean tea towel over it and push down to compact the potato slices into a nice tight cake.  Put the potatoes back into the oven for another 15-20 minutes.

Cook the beef to your preference. Remove the beef from the oven, but continue baking the potato cake for 5 minutes, or until it appears golden on top.

When ready to serve, remove the string from the beef and the rosemary sprigs.  Carve the beef into slices. Save any juices from the meat and return them to the tray, with the red wine and butter. Finish by squeezing the garlic cloves, then pass through a sieve onto the meat. 

Turn the potato cake out onto a board or just scoop it out and divide among the plates.

Variations

The cut of meat you use will depend on your preference. A roast or tri-tip would work great, as do the cuts we used.

You can lessen the amount of horseradish depending on who your guests are. We both made an individual portion in a ramekin without the horseradish, for younger eaters.

For the gravy, you can decrease the butter and wine making au jus rather than a thick sauce.

Playlist

Caitlin: I wanted something dancey and fun so I listened to a mix of Quadron (Slippin, Jeans and Pressure), Little Boots and La Roux.

Monica: I chose to listen to a random mix of songs from the 60’s-now (although I seemed to have skipped the 90’s). Here are my top 5 recommendations: 
     1) “The Painter” Neil Young
     2) “Rock With You” Michael Jackson
     3) “Martha My Dear” The Beatles
     4) “Excuses” The Morning Benders
     5) “Lips Like Sugar” Echo & the Bunnymen.

Drink of Choice

Caitlin: As with any dish that uses wine, you can have a glass with the meal, but I just wasn’t feelin’ it (crazy, I know). I opted for Pellegrino with a twist – it offset the richness from the meat.

Monica: I cooked with Chianti, so that is what I served. For a non-alcoholic option I also served a "cranberry cooler" (cranberry juice with sparkling water).

A Recipe to Remember?

Yes, the marinade is delicious and versatile. The potato cake is also a fun, new twist on a classic side dish.