Treat your sweetie to a romantic, delicious dinner with this Pan Seared Filet Mignon with Roasted Garlic Aioli Recipe.
This post is sponsored by the Ohio Beef Council. As always, all ideas and opinions shared are my own.
Valentine’s Day is a week from tomorrow! What do you do to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Or Galentine’s Day? Or “I put the siiiiiing in single day”? Whichever it is, just like any holiday, the celebration most likely involves a special meal. There’s no reason that special meal can’t be enjoyed at home, right? Your Valentine/Galentine will certainly appreciate the love with which your meal is prepared for them! Beef makes the perfect centerpiece for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner. Premium roasts like ribeye and tenderloin are popular, but more economical roast choices – round tip, top sirloin and eye round – are also delicious options.
Filet always makes for a special meal… in our family we enjoy this foolproof beef tenderloin for Christmas and we always grill it for Father’s Day. I whipped up some roasted garlic aioli to drizzle on the top and it really fancies it up for Valentine’s Day! Aioli always sounds fancy, doesn’t it? This version is full of herbaceous flavor and mellow, sweet roasted garlic and could not be easier. Seriously. It really couldn’t. But your Valentine doesn’t need to know that part. 😉
What’s the best way to prepare filet mignon?
One of the biggest mistakes in preparing filet mignon is cooking it straight out of the fridge. It’s important to take the steaks out of the refrigerator about an hour before you plan to cook them to allow them to come to room temperature. That way you ensure even cooking and will get a better sear than you would on a cold piece of beef.
As far as seasoning my pan seared filet, I season them liberally (and I mean heavy on the liberally!) with kosher salt and cracked black pepper just before I place them in the skillet. And I always use a cast iron skillet. There’s no sear like what you can get in a cast iron skillet! This is the one I use.
Always use a meat thermometer to avoid over-cooking. (This one has 2 probes so you can insert one into each steak). Insert probe from the side halfway into the thickest part of the steak. Set the thermometer to your desired temperature. Check out the temperature guide below.
What’s the best way to cook filet mignon?
Along with grilling, pan seared filet finished in the oven is my favorite way to enjoy this tender cut of beef. It creates a beautiful deep crust on the outside and produces a juicy, tender bite, in every bite.
Ready to gather up your ingredients and enjoy this special meal with your sweetie?
Pan Seared Filet Mignon with Roasted Garlic Aioli Recipe
Full printable recipe card below.
- 2 generously sized beef tenderloin steaks (filet mignon)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
Roasted Garlic Aioli
- 3 heads garlic, roasted
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- ¹⁄3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
How to make Roasted Garlic Aioli
When I said it’s easy, I mean easy! Once you roast the garlic (directions below), you simply squeeze it out and add it, along with the rest of the ingredients into a small blender and blend. Or you can add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and blend with an immersion blender. Or even just throughly mash up the roasted garlic and mix everything together with a fork. Easy peasy.
Don’t reserve this stuff just for steaks, though! Drizzle it over veggies, potatoes, or anything else you want to taste amazing.
For the pan seared filet, after you’ve chopped your herbs, you will preheat the oven to 425º F. Add the butter and olive oil to a cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat until it’s screaming hot, when it’s juuuust starting to smoke a little. Add the room temperature, seasoned steaks to the skillet and sear untouched for about 4 minutes (until a nice crust has formed). Flip and repeat.
Once the 2nd side has the perfect crust, insert the meat thermometer probes and transfer the cast iron skillet with the pan seared filets to the preheated oven and roast for about 6 – 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steak and the desired temperature (set desired temperature on the meat thermometer so it will alert you to when it’s ready to remove). Once removed from the oven, transfer to a plate, tent in foil and allow them to rest for about 10 minutes (they will continue to cook a bit while at rest but if you cut them right away you lose all of those amazing juices that you sealed in when you pan seared your filets! 😉 Check out this handy resource for determining doneness for any cut/type of beef.
Temperature Guide for Pan Seared Filet
Note: Remove once grilling thermometer reaches about 5 degrees below your desired temperature.
Medium Rare: 145º F
Medium: 160º F
Well Done: 170º F
What to serve with Pan Seared Filet
I love the burst of bright color (and flavor!) that roasted asparagus adds to the side of a beef dish. And of course a little red for V-Day with roasted red potatoes with herbs and butter.
And a lovely glass of red wine can be your appetizer/dessert. 😉 What wine pairs best with filet? A Cabernet Sauvignon is always a solid complement for beef… it’s bold flavor pairs well with the bold flavor of beef. I always enjoy a Shiraz or Pinot Noir with beef as well.
Enjoy!
Pan Seared Filet Mignon with Roasted Garlic Aioli Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 generously sized beef tenderloin steaks cut 1 1/2" - 2" thick
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
Roasted Garlic Aioli
- 3 large heads garlic roasted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme chopped
Instructions
Pan Seared Filet Mignon
- Remove the steaks from the refrigetor about an hour before cooking. Season liberally with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 425º F.
- Add the butter and olive oil to a cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat until it's screaming hot and beginning to smoke a little. Add the room temperature, seasoned steaks to the skillet and sear untouched for about 4 minutes (until a nice crust has formed). Flip and repeat. Once the 2nd side has the perfect crust, transfer the pan seared filets to the preheated oven and roast for about 6 - 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steak and the desired temperature. The steaks will continue to cook once removed from the oven so you want to take them out when the thermometer reaches about 5 degrees below your desired temperature. (See notes for temperature guide)
- Remove from the oven, transfer to a plate, tent in foil and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before serving or cutting.
- Drizzle with Roasted Garlic Aioli and garnish with Rosemary or Thyme, if desired.
Roasted Garlic Aioli
- Note: This can be made up to 3 days beforehand and kept in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 425º F.
- Rub the outside of the heads of garlic to remove the majority of the white paper-like skin. Cut the tops off of the heads of garlic and drizzle with olive oil and season liberally with kosher salt.
- Roast for 30 minutes or until the tops of the cloves are golden brown and they feel soft. Allow to cool until they can be handled.
- Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, rosemary and thyme to a small blender or small food processor. Squeeze the roasted garlic to remove soft insides of the garlic cloves and add to mixture. Blend. Drizzle over steak (and asparagus and potatoes if you're so inclined!)
Notes
Another favor you’re doing for your honey: Did you know that it’s American Heart Month? Research shows that enjoying lean beef as part of a heart-healthy diet can help maintain normal cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease risk. Enjoy tasty, American Heart Association-approved recipes featuring beef this month.
Supporting causes that are important to you too is another way to show love for your partner. In these times of increased awareness around sustainability and supporting local, I love that I’m contributing to both when I purchase and eat beef. There are actually 17,000 beef farming families in Ohio, and 98 percent are family farms! How rad is that?! Beef cattle can be found in every Ohio county. And whether it’s the bitter cold of a February Valentine’s Day or the hottest day in August, Ohio beef farmers take care of their cattle all year long. Watch this short video to see how the Rittenhouses, beef farmers from New Carlisle, work to get their cows to a nearby pasture, where they can watch over them closely, as a winter storm approaches.
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