Beef Tenderloin à la Godard (filet de bœuf à la Godard)

About the dish

A classic French-inspired festive dish from Erken's chapter on beef tenderloin. The name "à la Godard" refers to one of the great French garnishes of the 19th century, and Erken adapts it to the Norwegian kitchen with a cast-iron pot in the oven. The dish was typical party fare in bourgeois homes around 1900.

How to make it

1. 1

   Clean the tenderloin

   Cut out the tenderloin and carefully remove all membranes and sinews with a sharp knife, without damaging the meat.

2. 2

   Lard the meat

   Lard the tenderloin with thin strips of pork fat.

3. 3

   Prepare the vegetables

   Finely chop the cleaned carrots, onions, and celery leaves. Mix in the diced ham, thyme, and bay leaf, and sweat it in the pot with 60 g butter for 5 minutes. Finally deglaze the pot with the Madeira.

4. 4

   Assemble the meat

   Place all the vegetables in the bottom of a cast-iron pot that fits the piece of meat. Rub the tenderloin with salt and pepper, place it on the vegetables, and drizzle generously with melted butter.

5. 5

   Roast covered

   Put the lid on the pot and place it in a not-too-hot oven (about 160 °C (320 °F)). Let the meat cook slowly and baste often with melted butter.

6. 6

   Brown off

   After about 45 minutes, remove the lid so the meat takes on a nice brown color. Lift out the tenderloin and keep it warm.

7. 7

   Make the sauce

   Cook the vegetables in the pot for 10 minutes with 2.5 dl broth. Strain through a straining cloth or fine sieve.

8. 8

   Serve

   Slice the tenderloin, reassemble it as a whole on an oblong platter, and pour the sauce over it, or serve it separately. Surround the tenderloin with small bundles of boiled vegetables – carrot, peas, beans, and white roots – each cooked separately and coated with butter.