Beef Tenderloin Aux Poivre with Brandied Mushroom Sauce

Let tenderloin stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Pat tenderloin dry and tuck the tail end under, then tie the roast at 2-inch intervals. Rub the tenderloin all over with the pepper and the salt, pressing it firmly into the meat.

Straddle a large heavy roasting pan over 2 burners and in it, heat the oil over high heat until shimmering. Add the roast and brown it on all sides, turning occasionally with tongs, about 10 minutes total.

Transfer beef to middle of preheated oven and roast until a thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into thickest part registers 120 F., 25 to 30 minutes (thinner sections will register higher, giving your guests a selection of medium rare to medium meat).

Transfer beef to a platter and let stand for 15 minutes (internal temperature of meat will rise to about 130F for medium-rare).

Meanwhile, add water to hot roasting pan and stir and scrape up browned bits. Reserve liquid.

Reheat mushroom sauce, if necessary, and stir in reserved roasting pan liquid. Discard strings and slice meat. Add any meat juices from platter to mushroom sauce and reheat sauce again.

Arrange slices on a platter and serve with sauce on the side.

Cooks' notes:
Many big-box stores sell whole tenderloins already trimmed. If your tenderloin is not trimmed (you'll see the fat and silver skin), ask the butcher to the trim the fat and silver skin and chain (a strip of meat loosely attached to the tenderloin) if indeed it is attached. If your tenderloin came with the chain, ask the butcher to grind it so that you can use it as burger meat.

To coarsely crack peppercorns, use a mortar and pestle, or put the peppercorns in a small sealable plastic bag and pound them with the bottom of a heavy pan, or pulse in an electric coffee/spice grinder.

*Related recipe: Brandied Mushroom Sauce