Happy Valentine’s Day!

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Feb 14, 2009 at 8:01pm

minced garlic with salt

Whew, I made a big V-Day dinner for John and Nathan tonight, I’m slightly wiped. And full. But it was great fun to prep and they both enjoyed the din thoroughly, so totally worth the effort. (The mess I made of the kitchen? Um, I’m hoping my gift is that someone else cleans it up…? UPDATE: John and Nathan did, thank you boys!)

minced garlic

I decided to make a real guy’s dinner, a total steakhouse spread – roasted beef tenderloin, sauteed mushrooms, creamed spinach, hash browns, and chocolate cake for dessert. There’s nothing like a tenderloin roast, easy and impressive, the perfect combination. I’ll confess, tenderloin doesn’t do much for me (especially given the insane price) – NY strip is my steak, beefy and toothsome, the king of steaks. But, the fam (and pretty much everyone but me) loves tenderloin, so I splurge for special occasions. To boost its flavor, I give it a good rub with minced-to-a-paste garlic (forget garlic presses, they waste 1/2 of each clove, and it’s easy to make a quick paste with a sharp knife and a generous sprinkle of coarse salt), mixed with a bit of olive oil and some dried herbs. You can see in the pic that I cut a whole roast in half. I usually roast the larger piece a bit longer, but if you’re serving a group with a variety of doneness preferences, well there you go – the large side is still quite rare when the narrow has achieved medium.

minced garlic with herbs

If not for the cold, I would have thrown the roast on the grill, my favorite, simple method for achieving a good crust with a rosy interior. But when it’s less than 30 degrees outside – yes, it was cold in Minnesota today, strange, I know – my (gas) grill is too unpredictable. Fine if I’m grilling, say, hot dogs or chicken breasts, but a tenderloin roast? Uh, no. So I instead popped the roast into a 450 degree oven (for 15 minutes), then turned it down to 375 degrees (for another 20-30 minutes, depending on desired doneness), then let it set up for 15 minutes while I made the hash browns and spinach. Worked nicely.

roasted beef tenderloin

Creamed spinach is a breeze to make, and not nearly as decadent as it sounds. Saute a minced clove of garlic in a bit of butter, stir in the spinach, drizzle with a small amount of cream, and when the lot is wilted add a generous grating of Parmesan and fresh nutmegSalt and pepper to finish. Delicious.

creamed spinach, sauteed mushrooms, hash browns

And hash browns, also simple, especially if you’ve got a food processor (but a box grater does the trick as well, albeit a bit more slowly – watch your knuckles!). I love a combination of russets and red potatoes (about 5-6 potatoes peeled, grated, with 1/2 tsp. of salt stirred in). To get the classic steakhouse “cake” of hash brown, press the potatoes into a bit of hot peanut oil, fry on one side until quite crisp, flip onto a plate, add a bit more oil to the pan, then slide the potatoes back into the pan until the other side is crisp. My kids would be very happy if I made these every single day of the year.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Older Comments

  1. By maud on February 18, 2009 at 9:36AM

    love the beef pic!

  2. By SML on February 16, 2009 at 11:57AM

    I'd say 15-20 minutes total cooking time, at medium-high heat. Here's in total how I do it: I set out the saute pan (12-inch nonstick skillet) and add a few Tbsp. of peanut oil (no heat yet, but it's ready to go). I peel and grate the potatoes, THEN turn on the heat. While the pan gets hot, I quickly transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and stir in a tsp. or so of salt. Then I press the hot potatoes into the hot oil (leaving behind any liquid at the bottom of the bowl), fry over medium high heat until nicely browned, then slide them out onto a plate. Using another plate I flip them, add a few more Tbsp. of oil to the hot pan, and slide the potatoes back into the pan and brown again. I just serve them out of the pan, with another light sprinkle of salt.

  3. By metalmommy on February 16, 2009 at 6:38AM

    Coo. Thanks dearie! About how long would you say they take to cook?

  4. By SML on February 15, 2009 at 12:04PM

    You can't go too lowfat on them, I'm sorry to say. Hot (nonstick) pan to start, then add the oil (let heat for a sec), I'd say at least 2 Tbsp. to begin, then really press the potatoes down into the hot fat. Medium to medium high heat after that - not too fast, or they'll get too brown before the middle cooks. Slide the potatoes out, add 1-2 Tbsp. more oil, flip & slide 'em back in. I do believe that freshly grated, with their moisture, work better than frozen, which are drier. Without moisture there's no steam to cook them through the middle. Just a theory, but a lot of steam comes off of them. See if that helps...?

  5. By metalmommy on February 15, 2009 at 9:25AM

    I'm totally impressed (yet again!) and so happy the boys stepped up to clean!! :-) Man, I've tried making hashbrowns before but it seems they never cook all the way in the middle...yuck. What's your secret?