One of the most popular recipes here at Josie + Nina are my Beef Tenderloin Sliders. Hands-down, they are the heartiest and best Super Bowl appetizer and if they’re not made, boos erupt regardless of who people are rooting for. Meet a real contender…especially for fans who would love to enjoy a gluten-free holiday appetizer —Potato and Beef Tenderloin Bruschetta.
Who doesn’t love being on a winning team?
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Bruschetta without bread
How do you pronounce bruschetta anyway? Say it with me….brew-sket-ta.
As an Italian, the thought of bruschetta without bread is like a good butter and cream sauce without cream.
All is good though because the bruschetta bread in this case is a potato. And not just any potato but some creamy, golden Yukon Gold potatoes. These gems crisp up in the best way when roasted in a little butter bath and form a great base for the beef tenderloin and cherry balsamic marmalade. Roasting potatoes in straight butter is a little trick that my mother-in-law, Katie, taught me and it works every time!
(Katie was all about effectiveness and efficiency. And making great desserts —her amazing Danish Puff Pastry is darn effective at creating a sweet tooth habit).
Making the perfect beef tenderloin
Beef tenderloin is something that intimidates even the most practiced cook the first couple of times. There are so many questions that come with it:
- Do I need to buy the most expensive cut of beef tenderloin? NO! I always buy either what’s on sale or the choice cut. Beef tenderloin is a lean cut of meat which basically means it’s like buttah so save your money for a good bottle of wine to go with it.
- What temperature should it be cooked at? I prefer the high and fast method of cooking beef tenderloin at 500°. TIP: Open a window to allow for good circulation in case you have a sensitive smoke alarm.
- How do I avoid drying out tenderloin? By cooking it less than you think you need to. And refer to the next question.
- How will I know when it’s done? When it reaches 500°. Get yourself not one but two really good meat thermometers. I looove this one from ThermoPro. And also a non-digital one like this thermometer from Taylor is a reliable option.
For all this and more about how to cook beef tenderloin, head over to my beloved beef sliders and read more.
One recipe gives you TWO beef tenderloin appetizers.
Classic definition of a win-win!
We have our“bread”and our beef…now let’s whip up the little accessory that brings the holiday jingle to this easy steak and potatoes recipe.
How to make tart cherry compote
Three ingredients:
- Amarena cherries (the kind used to make Manhattans or Old-Fashioned’s)
- Amarena cherry juice
- Balsamic vinegar
Add them to a sauce pan along with some salt and pepper and simmer for about 15 minutes until thick and syrupy.
DONE.
Assembling potato and beef tenderloin bruschetta
- Take a crispy potato slice.
- Lay on a piece of sliced beef tenderloin.
- Top with a little jam
- Sprinkle with chopped rosemary.
Variations
Horseradish Sauce – Mix up this creamy horseradish sauce and change up the layering to be potato ➡️ cherry compote ➡️ beef ➡️ horseradish sauce ➡️ rosemary.
Blue Cheese – Substitute blue cheese dressing for the cherry compote and use between the potatoes and the beef. Top with a little crumbled blue cheese and rosemary. CLASSIC!
Tips
For a crew. Roast a whole beef tenderloin (typically 6 lbs or so). If you’re having beef for a holiday meal, use the leftovers to make these bites for a gathering the next day.
For a few. If roasting a large or whole tenderloin isn’t part of your gameplan, have your favorite deli slice you a large 1 1/2 lb piece of beef. You can then slice it how you like for an easy Christmas Eve snack.
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Potato and Beef Tenderloin Bruschetta
Ingredients
For beef
- 2 lb piece of beef tenderloin, trimmed* see "beef note" below
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more if needed
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground black peppe, plus more if needed
For potatoes
- 8 med-large Yukon Gold potatoes
- ½ stick unsalted butter
- salt and pepper
For Cherry Compote
- 1 jar amarena cherries, see below / Trader Joe's has them at the holidays
- 2-3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, optional
Garnish
- 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
- horseradish mustard sauce, optional, see below
- blue cheese dressing, see below
Instructions
For the beef
- Heat oven to 500° with the rack in the center to lower part of the oven. NOTE: if you have two ovens, preheat the second oven to 400° for the potatoes.
- Pat the beef dry on all sides with paper towel.
- Combine the butter and mustard together in a small bowl. Spread over both sides of the beef and season generously with salt and pepper. The amounts I gave are just starting points. This gives the beef great flavor and a nice crust.
- Roast for 25 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 130° for rare or 135° for medium rare. Remove and immediately tent with foil to rest for 10 minutes or soSlice about 1/4 inch thick or so.*
For the potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400° (if you didn't already do this above).
- On a sheet pan, place the butter and put the whole thing in the oven to melt.
- Meanwhile, slice each potato crosswise in half and then each half in half again so you end up with 4 equal slices. If your potatoes are a little larger, you might get 5 slices. Repeat with all the potatoes.
- Season the melted butter with salt and pepper and place the potatoes on the buttered hot baking sheet in a single layer. Flip over to coat and season the tops.
- Bake for 20 minutes until crisp. Remove from pan to a rack and set aside. See below for make ahead notes.
For the compote
- Remove the cherries from the stems and place in a small saucepan with ¼ cup of the cherry juice from the cherries and the balsamic vinegar. Season. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes until syrupy and spatula dragged across the bottom of the pan leaves a trail.
Assemble
- Layer a potato with a dollop of cherry compote and top with a slice of beef tenderloin. Sprinkle over fresh minced rosemary.
