During the past few episodes of ""What's in the Fridge"" embarked on a culinary journey across sunny, southern Italy and windswept, western France, so I decided to bring my recipes for this week a little closer to home. Combining Wisconsin's three favorite food groups —beef, cheese and beer—I crafted a rather elegant sandwich.
After hours of arduous battling with a beef tenderloin, a pound of bleu cheese and a host of other equally ferocious ingredients, one clear winner clawed its way onto my anxiously awaiting platter. Two thickly cut slices of sourdough led the victory march, followed closely by a mountain of braised beef, a stack of sautéed mushrooms and onions and a smattering of scrumptious blue cheese dressing. Boldly daring to venture where few side dishes have gone before, a heap of spicy sweet potato oven-fries and a crunchy tossed salad stood tall next to this looming giant of a sandwich. An ice-cold malty beverage rounded out the meal perfectly. Unlatch your belts, drop the fork and knife and dig in!
Begin this culinary conquest by preparing your spicy sweet potato fries. Peel four large sweet potatoes and slice them into 3-4"" matchstick fries. In a large, microwaveable bowl, coat the fries with three tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Microwave the fries for approximately seven minutes, to soften them, and then sprinkle with a mixture of equal parts garlic powder, coarse salt, black pepper, paprika and a pinch of cayenne if desired. Spread the fries on a baking sheet and place in a 425-degree oven for ten minutes or until they reach the desired crispness. When finished, you can place the fries on a warming tray while the rest of the meal cooks.
Now, on to the sandwich: Leave the beef tenderloin out of the fridge until it reaches room temperature then trim off any excess fat. Rub it on all sides with a mixture of four tbsp garlic powder and one tbsp salt-free lemon pepper, and place in an oiled baking pan—making sure to tuck any thin ends under the body of the tenderloin (this prevents overcooking/burning). Place in a 425-degree oven for fifteen minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake it for another 20-30 minutes. The tenderloin is ready when the internal temperature reaches approximately 140 degrees, so pull it out at this point and allow it to rest for at least ten minutes before you slice it.
While the tenderloin cooks, prepare the homemade bleu cheese dressing. Whisk together 3/4 cups mayonnaise, 2 tbsp sour cream, 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce and 3 ounces crumbled bleu cheese. Once thoroughly combined, fold in the remaining three ounces of bleu cheese (if you desire more bleu cheese flavor) and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Place the dressing in the fridge up until use.
To prepare the tossed salad, cube two avocadoes, halve a pound of cherry tomatoes, and toss these ingredients with mixed greens. For a simple balsamic vinaigrette, add 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar to a mixing bowl and slowly whisk in 3/8 cups extra virgin olive oil. Stir in one tbsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tbsp honey and add black pepper to taste. At this point, taste the dressing and adjust it to your liking.
A few minutes before you plan to eat, prepare the mushroom and onion sauté. Chop two red onions, along with one pound of crimini mushrooms and cook on medium-high with eight ounces of salted butter. Make sure to add the onions a few minutes before the mushrooms, because they take longer to cook. When both the mushroom and onions are tender, season with black pepper and stir in 1/3 cup of red wine. Allow the mixture to simmer for a few more minutes and it will be ready to serve.
Begin the assembly of your beef and bleu cheese sandwich with two slices of thickly cut sourdough. Heap the sliced tenderloin, mushroom and onion sauté and a generous helping of bleu cheese dressing on top, and plate alongside the spicy sweet potato fries and tossed salad. Top off this gut-busting meal with a bottle of your favorite local brew and you can be assured that you wont be able to budge from the dining room table for at least a few hours—unless, of course, you're going for seconds.
Beef and Bleu Cheese Sandwich Shopping List:
Sandwich:
3 lbs beef tenderloin, trimmed
4 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp unsalted lemon pepper
1 lb crimini mushrooms (also called baby portabella)
2 large red onions
8 tbsp salted butter
1/3 cup red wine
Thickly cut sourdough loaf
Black pepper (to taste)
Bleu Cheese Dressing:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp sour cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3-6 ounces mild bleu cheese
Pinch of salt
Black pepper to taste
Spicy Sweet Potato Fries:
4 sweet potatoes
3-4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp coarse salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Tossed Salad:
Mixed greens
2 avocados
1 lb cherry tomatoes
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3/8 cup olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp honey
Black pepper (to taste)
