Roasted Fillet Beef with Fresh Horseradish Sauce

A tender cut of beef is a little bit of luxury and this is the perfect main course to cook for a gathering of friends. Fillet is thought to be tricky to roast, but really it is one of the simplest. If you decide to brown the meat ahead of time and roast to serve, add 5 minutes to the cooking time.

Serves
:
6-8
Preparation time
:
Cooking time
:
Dietry
:
Vegetarian

    Ingredients
  • 1kg middle cut thick fillet of beef
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 4 long sprigs of rosemary
    • For the fresh horseradish sauce
  • 150ml mayonnaise
  • 150ml full fat crème fraîche
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp peeled and grated fresh horseradish, or 3 tbsp creamed hot horseradish
    Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7.
  2. Season the fillet with plenty of salt and black pepper and rub with the oil.
  3. Place a large frying pan over a high heat until very hot.
  4. Fry the fillet on all sides until browned.
  5. Sit the fillet in the centre of a roasting tin and spread the mustard evenly over the top.
  6. Lay the rosemary sprigs around the fillet in the tin and drizzle the beef with oil.
  7. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes for medium rare (or only 15 minutes, if it is a long, thin fillet).
  8. Remove the beef from the oven and set aside on a board.
  9. Cover with foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
  10. If serving cold, leave to cool completely, then wrap in more foil and place in the fridge.
  11. Meanwhile, to make the sauce, measure the mayonnaise, crème fraîche and mustard into a bowl.
  12. Stir to combine, then add the horseradish.
  13. Season and mix to combine.
  14. Chill until ready to serve alongside the beef.
  15. Carve the beef into slices and serve with the sauce alongside.
Beef can be fried up to 8 hours ahead and roasted to serve. If serving cold, the fillet can be roasted, carved, reassembled into it's original shape a day ahead and wrapped in cling film. This prevents the pink slices from turning grey. Ideally carve just before serving.
Not for freezing.
It is important to ask for a middle cut piece of fillet so the beef is an even thickness and cooks evenly.