Beef Tenderloin Filets with a Green Peppercorn Sauce

I don't know if I have mentioned it before, but I LOVE green peppercorns.   But only the dried version.  I don't care for green peppercorns that have been brined.  They have a vinegary taste that I don't care for.

I pass a grocery store on my drive to work.   Most days I stop on my way to work or on my  way home from work and pick up what I need to make dinner.   Today I stopped on my way and picked up a couple of small beef tenderloin steaks.  Tonight's dinner was quick, easy and delicious.  It took only  about 30 minutes to prepare.  Tenderloin filets  in a green peppercorn sauce.  Dinner could have been ready sooner but I wanted Parisienne potatoes which meant peeling russets and using the melon baller to carve the potato balls and the potatoes took 20 minutes to cook.     The steaks were quick.  Rubbed with a garlic clove, lots of coarse ground black pepper and a little salt and quickly browned in a cast iron pan with a little butter and olive oil.   And I do mean quickly.  We prefer our beef on the rare side.  The sauce was made by sauting a chopped shallot and garlic in the drippings, adding about 3/4 of a cup of beef broth, in which the green peppercorns had soaked,   a teaspoon or two of Dijon mustard, simmered to reduce and a little cream added, simmered a minute or two longer.  By the time the sauce was reduced the potatoes were just about done and the steaks went back into the pan just long enough to reheat but not overcook.

Served with green beans and leftover Cauliflower Gratin.   One of a very few leftovers I actually like.

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