When I imagine a romantic, fancy dinner on Valentine’s day, I definitely think of filet mignon. But don’t let it intimidate you, you can spoil that special person by surprising them with this impressive dish cooked at home. Because it’s the most tender and tastiest cut of beef you can buy, it’s a little pricier than other cuts, but it’s so worth it on a special occasion. Just be on the lookout for those store deals! Trim off that fat and serve alongside some green veggies, and you’ll keep the calories down as well. It’s practically fool-proof…all you need are a few simple ingredients, a meat thermometer and walllahhhh…in less than 30 minutes, you’ll have a gourmet meal!

 -Melanie

Health tips: Low fat, heart healthy, diabetes friendly

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 2 (5-6 oz.) beef tenderloin filet mignon steaks, about 1-1 1/2″ thick, trimmed of fat
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

Herb Butter

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Pat steaks dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour.
3. In the meantime, mix the butter, garlic, lemon juice, pinch of salt and pepper, and herbs  until combined. Taste and adjust as desired. Wrap in plastic wrap to form a log, twist sides to hold in. (Tip: This will make extra butter to use for future dishes.) Let cool in the fridge.
4. After steaks come to room temperature, drizzle some olive oil in a cast-iron pan (You can add some butter if you want as well). Put pan on high heat until very hot and it starts to smoke a bit.
5. Sear steaks about 2 minutes on each side until brown and crusted.
6. Move steaks to the oven and cook for about 4 more minutes. Remove when inside temperature reads about 125 degrees F for medium-rare and 130 degrees F for medium. (Tip: Meat temperature will rise 5-10 degrees after it is removed from the oven).
7. Slice some herb butter on top of steaks and loosely cover with foil. Let steaks rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!