Read the tips at the end of the recipe for cooking beef just how you like it.
Ingredients
—1.2kg (2¼-2½ pounds) fillet of beef, cut from the fat end 3 Tbsp chopped rosemary ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper 3 Tbsp panko crumbs 1½ tsp sea salt 1½ Tbsp olive oil 1 cup red wine 1 Tbsp butter
Method
—1 Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
2 Trim beef fillet of any fat and silvery skin. Make a decision based on the notes above. Mix rosemary, pepper, panko crumbs and salt together and press into beef. Tie in shape with string.
3 Heat oil in a heavy-based dish over a medium-high heat and add beef. Brown quickly on one side, turn, brown for 1 minute, then transfer to oven. Bake for 6 minutes for a skinny fillet or 7 minutes for fatter pieces. Turn fillet and cook for a further 6 or 7 minutes. This should produce medium-rare meat. Read more about cooking beef: Touch test for cooked beef
4 Remove fillet from oven and sprinkle generously with more salt (yup, even though the meat has been salted in the preparation stage, it will taste a whole lot better with more salt). Transfer to a board and let it rest for 10 minutes (the beef is not to be served piping hot – it will be far juicier and have more flavour if it is rested for 10 minutes before slicing).
5 Pour off excess fat from roasting tin. Set tin over medium heat and splash in red wine. Let it bubble up and reduce by one-third. Slice fillet thickly and transfer to a heated serving platter. Whip butter into reducing pan juices, turn off the heat and season with a pinch or two of salt. Immediately pour pan juices over meat (or serve separately in a heated jug) and serve with balsamic glazed shallots and other accompaniments.
Roast fillet of beef with balsamic glazed shallots with crunchy potatoes
Recipe Notes
One end of a whole fillet of beef is chunky, with a piece of meat than can be detached if needed, the middle is fairly even, then it tapers off. You need to make a decision: are you feeding a group who all love their meat medium-rare, or are there some who like it just a little more or a little less done? If everyone wants their meat medium-rare, detach the chunky bit from the thick end of the fillet and cook it separately, and for a shorter time. But if you have some who love it rare and others who like it just a tad past medium-rare, cook it as a whole piece, and you should be able to please them all! Read more about touch test for cooked beef And here’s the link for Balsamic Glazed Shallots  Read more about balsamic vinegar here
Photography Aaron McLean http://www.aaronmclean.com
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