Recipe: Filet Mignon with Pepper-Potato Gratin
Page: 172
Date Cooked: November 10, 2011
The ingredient list for this recipe was quite interesting. I needed a variety of peppercorns, oranges, three different bell peppers, and even a poblano chile. Accordingly, it is safe to say that this wasn't going to be a particularly simple tasting steak and potato kind of dish.
I spread the peppercorns on a baking sheet and toasted them in the oven for a few minutes. I want to make a note here that the recipe also calls for white peppercorns, which I didn't have, but compensated for by using a bit additional of the other three (black, pink, and green) peppercorns. The toasted peppercorns were incredibly fragrant. I loved how it smelt throughout my kitchen. And amazingly there was no sneezing. Once they toasted, I coarsely ground the peppercorns using a coffee grinder. Finally, I grated the orange zest and mixed it in with the peppercorns along with some salt to dry on a plate. I also juiced the orange and placed it on a side.
With the spice rub drying, I moved on to the gratin. I peeled the potatoes and placed them in cold water. I then put the bell peppers and poblano chile under the broiler until blackened and blistered all over. I then put the peppers in a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and let it steam for a few minutes. Finally, I peeled the peppers and chile using my hands, stemmed, seeded, and cut the peppers in half. This is a technique JW likes to use a lot and by this time I felt like a pro.
I buttered and garliced (rubbed a garlic clove inside the dish) a baking dish. I also put the milk and a garlic clove into a small saucepan and let it simmer for a few minutes. I removed the garlic and kept the milk warm. I also drained the potatoes and used my food processor to slice them wafer-thin.
Then it was on to layering the gratin. I put about a third of the potatoes in the dish, seasoned with salt and pepper, added a layer of the poblano chiles, dotted with butter, and poured in a third of the garlic-infused milk. I then added another third of the potatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper, added a layer of the bell peppers, dotted with butter, and poured in a third of the garlic-infused milk. Finally, I added the last of the potatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper, dotted with butter, and poured in the remaining garlic-infused milk.
I placed the gratin in the oven until the milk had been absorbed by the potatoes. In the meantime, I heated the cream with the cinnamon stick until it was hot. I kept the cream warm and discarded the cinnamon stick. I poured the cream over the gratin and placed it back in the oven.
The gratin baked until the potatoes were tender and golden brown on top.
Now to the steaks...You have the option to either grill the steaks or panfry them. Since I don't have a grill, I had to panfry. I heated olive oil in a cast iron skillet and placed it over high heat for a few minutes. In the meantime, I brushed the steaks with olive oil and dipped them in the peppercorn-zest mixture to fully coat. I added the steak to the skillet and reduced the heat to medium-high and cooked for 5 minutes per side (achieving a perfectly rare steak). I removed the steak from the skillet and allowed it to rest.
While the steak rested, I melted some butter in a sauce pan and added the reserved orange juice. The mixture cooked until reduced and thickened.
A few notes here: Since you are trying to achieve that grilled steak taste, the pan gets incredibly hot and there is A LOT of smoke. You have to keep your range hood on. I even had to open the windows, it got pretty bad. Also, JW's cooking times for getting that perfect rare steak was exactly right! I am not really a pro when it come to cooking steak and am always iffy about the timing - but not anymore!
Finally, it was time to plate. I put the steak on a plate and topped it with the orange-butter sauce. I also placed the pepper-potato gratin alongside the steak.
This dish was super yummy and incredibly hearty. And the flavors worked wonderfully. You would think the orange-butter sauce would make the filet mignon sweet - but it didn't. It gave it a really beautiful fresh tasting flavor and it balanced the peppercorn so well. And the gratin was really creamy and I loved the use of the peppers and poblano chile. It gave the dish a nice spicy note, which also played off the orange flavor nicely.
I think this recipe is a perfect example of taking something like meat and potatoes and adding a few other ingredients to really transform a dish. Next time I want to treat myself to filet mignon - this may be the route I take.
Page: 172
Date Cooked: November 10, 2011
The ingredient list for this recipe was quite interesting. I needed a variety of peppercorns, oranges, three different bell peppers, and even a poblano chile. Accordingly, it is safe to say that this wasn't going to be a particularly simple tasting steak and potato kind of dish.
 |
| Ingredients: Black peppercorns, pink peppercorns, green peppercorns, orange, kosher salt, filet mignon, russet potatoes, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, poblano chile, garlic, milk, black pepper, unsalted butter, heavy cream, cinnamon, and olive oil |
I spread the peppercorns on a baking sheet and toasted them in the oven for a few minutes. I want to make a note here that the recipe also calls for white peppercorns, which I didn't have, but compensated for by using a bit additional of the other three (black, pink, and green) peppercorns. The toasted peppercorns were incredibly fragrant. I loved how it smelt throughout my kitchen. And amazingly there was no sneezing. Once they toasted, I coarsely ground the peppercorns using a coffee grinder. Finally, I grated the orange zest and mixed it in with the peppercorns along with some salt to dry on a plate. I also juiced the orange and placed it on a side.
 |
| Left: Toasting the peppercorns Right: Steak spice rub - peppercorns + orange zest + salt |
With the spice rub drying, I moved on to the gratin. I peeled the potatoes and placed them in cold water. I then put the bell peppers and poblano chile under the broiler until blackened and blistered all over. I then put the peppers in a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and let it steam for a few minutes. Finally, I peeled the peppers and chile using my hands, stemmed, seeded, and cut the peppers in half. This is a technique JW likes to use a lot and by this time I felt like a pro.
 |
| 1. Peppers + poblano chile 2. Blackened and blistered peppers + poblano chile 3. Peppers + poblano chile steaming 4. Peppers + poblano chiles - peeled, stemmed, seeded, and halved |
I buttered and garliced (rubbed a garlic clove inside the dish) a baking dish. I also put the milk and a garlic clove into a small saucepan and let it simmer for a few minutes. I removed the garlic and kept the milk warm. I also drained the potatoes and used my food processor to slice them wafer-thin.
 |
| Left: Garlic infused milk Right: Sliced potatoes |
Then it was on to layering the gratin. I put about a third of the potatoes in the dish, seasoned with salt and pepper, added a layer of the poblano chiles, dotted with butter, and poured in a third of the garlic-infused milk. I then added another third of the potatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper, added a layer of the bell peppers, dotted with butter, and poured in a third of the garlic-infused milk. Finally, I added the last of the potatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper, dotted with butter, and poured in the remaining garlic-infused milk.
 |
| Making the Pepper-Potato Gratin |
I placed the gratin in the oven until the milk had been absorbed by the potatoes. In the meantime, I heated the cream with the cinnamon stick until it was hot. I kept the cream warm and discarded the cinnamon stick. I poured the cream over the gratin and placed it back in the oven.
 |
| Left: Cinnamon-infused heavy cream Right: Poured heavy cream over gratin |
The gratin baked until the potatoes were tender and golden brown on top.
 |
| Pepper-Potato Gratin |
Now to the steaks...You have the option to either grill the steaks or panfry them. Since I don't have a grill, I had to panfry. I heated olive oil in a cast iron skillet and placed it over high heat for a few minutes. In the meantime, I brushed the steaks with olive oil and dipped them in the peppercorn-zest mixture to fully coat. I added the steak to the skillet and reduced the heat to medium-high and cooked for 5 minutes per side (achieving a perfectly rare steak). I removed the steak from the skillet and allowed it to rest.
While the steak rested, I melted some butter in a sauce pan and added the reserved orange juice. The mixture cooked until reduced and thickened.
A few notes here: Since you are trying to achieve that grilled steak taste, the pan gets incredibly hot and there is A LOT of smoke. You have to keep your range hood on. I even had to open the windows, it got pretty bad. Also, JW's cooking times for getting that perfect rare steak was exactly right! I am not really a pro when it come to cooking steak and am always iffy about the timing - but not anymore!
 |
| Panfrying the filet mignon 1. Peppercorn-zest crusted filet mignon 2. Pan frying one side 3. Flipped to the other side |
Finally, it was time to plate. I put the steak on a plate and topped it with the orange-butter sauce. I also placed the pepper-potato gratin alongside the steak.
 |
| Filet Mignon with Pepper-Potato Gratin |
This dish was super yummy and incredibly hearty. And the flavors worked wonderfully. You would think the orange-butter sauce would make the filet mignon sweet - but it didn't. It gave it a really beautiful fresh tasting flavor and it balanced the peppercorn so well. And the gratin was really creamy and I loved the use of the peppers and poblano chile. It gave the dish a nice spicy note, which also played off the orange flavor nicely.
I think this recipe is a perfect example of taking something like meat and potatoes and adding a few other ingredients to really transform a dish. Next time I want to treat myself to filet mignon - this may be the route I take.
Enjoy!
really, this hobby couldn't have developed when we lived together???
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