Filet Mignon w/Mushroom Sauce, Chive-Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Christmas dinner for two...seriously good! Maybe one of the best meals ever.

I splurged at Whole Foods and got filet mignon. Too bad this is pricey enough not to enjoy often...though I'm sure it would be good with non-fancy steak too. This is sort of an amalgamation of a bunch of steak-and-mushroom-sauce recipes I looked at online.

Filet Mignon with Mushroom Sauce

-2 pieces filet mignon / beef tenderloin / whatever (let stand at room temp for about 1 hr)
-1 lb-ish mushrooms (I used a package of "gourmet blend" shiitake, chanterelle & oyster mushrooms, plus some creminis)
-1 large shallot, thinly sliced
-butter & olive oil
-1/2 cup red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
-1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
-pinch dried thyme
-dash Worcestershire sauce
-1/4 cup (or more) heavy cream

Make the mushroom sauce: saute the shallot in about 1 Tbl each butter & olive oil. Add mushrooms & saute over medium-high heat til well-browned. Season with salt & pepper. Add wine & boil until most of the liquid is gone. Add chicken broth & simmer til slightly reduced. Add thyme & worcestershire. I added a tiny bit of flour to thicken (though I didn't really want this to be gravy-like). Can be made ahead to this point.

To cook the beef, preheat oven to 350 and heat an iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season filets well with salt & pepper. Add some olive oil to skillet and sear filets for 4-5 minutes on each side. Finish cooking in the oven to desired doneness - for me it was about 8-10 minutes for medium rare. Depending on how thick the filets are, you may not need to do the oven step. Don't overcook!! Meanwhile, add cream to sauce and bring to a simmer. Serve sauce over beef.

Chive-Garlic Mashed Potatoes

-6-8 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & quartered
-5-6 garlic cloves, peeled
-1/2 cup heavy cream + milk
-bit o' butter
-handful of chives, chopped

Cover potatoes and garlic cloves with cold water and boil until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, return to hot pot and let dry out for a few seconds. Mash & add heavy cream, butter and milk to desired consistency. Season with salt & pepper and add chives.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Trim Brussels sprouts, remove any icky leaves and cut in half. Toss with 2 Tbl olive oil & plenty of salt & pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast at 400 for about 20 minutes, until browned & tender. So good!! These are a simpler version of what I made for Thanksgiving. Even Brussels sprout haters should like these!

You will probably have leftovers of everything but the beef...not a bad thing!