Beef Fillet With Roast Garlic & Mustard Sauce

Time

1 hr 25 min

Prep

25 min

Cook

30 min – 1 hr

Yields

10 Servings

Level

Easy

Ingredients

For the beef:

2kg middle-cut thick fillet of beef
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

For the sauce:

2 whole heads garlic
150ml/¼ pint mayonnaise
150ml/¼ pint full fat crème fraîche
½ tsp sugar
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard

Beef Fillet with roast garlic and mustard sauce

R459.90 / 1.4kgAdd to cart

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7 (fan 200°C).
Rub the fillet of beef with plenty of salt and pepper and the oil.
Heat a large frying pan until very hot. Fry the fillet on all sides until browned. Transfer to a roasting tin.
Place the fillet in the centre of the roasting tin, arrange the whole garlic bulbs around the fillet and drizzle with a little oil. Roast for 23 minutes for medium-rare (only 20 minutes if it is a long, thin piece).
When the beef is cooked, remove from the oven, cover with aluminium foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

Side Note

Both the beef and the sauce can be prepared up to two days in advance. If you want to get ahead, carve the cold beef an hour or two before serving then reassemble as a whole joint and wrap it tightly in cling film. Unwrap and arrange on a platter just before serving as the beef will loose its lovely pink colour if left exposed to the air for too long.

It is important to ask for a middle-cut piece of fillet as you want the beef to be of even thickness the whole length so that it cooks evenly. If roasting from hot after pan-frying, roast in the oven for slightly less time – about 23 minutes.