Tournedos Forestière

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch / 30-cm heavy skillet
• •4-quart / 3.8-L pot
• •Wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet
• •3-inch / 7.5-cm round cutter
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Large warmed oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Shape and season

   Thirty minutes before cooking, pat the tournedos thoroughly dry and tie each one around its middle so it holds a compact round shape. Season both faces with ¾ teaspoon of the salt, then leave the beef at cool room temperature. Save the pepper until the skillet is ready so it spends less time against fierce heat. Heat the oven to 200°F / 95°C and place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet inside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it with the full tablespoon of salt.

2. 2

   Parboil the potatoes

   Lower the diced potatoes into the boiling water and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Their corners should yield when pressed, but the centers must still offer resistance. Lift them out with a spider or slotted spoon, preserving the water for the noodles, then spread them on a clean towel until their surfaces look dry and slightly chalky. This brief parboil replaces the prepared potato garnish a brigade kept ready; it lets the large dice become tender before their butter can scorch. Cover the pot and set it aside.

3. 3

   Fry the croûtes

   Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in the heavy skillet over medium heat. When it foams, lay in the bread rounds and fry them until crisp and deep gold on both faces, about 2 minutes per side. Add a little more butter only if the pan becomes dry. If the butter blackens before the bread colors, lift out the croûtes, wipe the skillet clean, and continue with some of the reserved butter. Ça se rattrape. Transfer the croûtes to the rack in the low oven, where air can circulate underneath and keep them crisp.

4. 4

   Toss potatoes in butter

   Brush loose crumbs from the skillet, add 3 tablespoons of butter, and raise the heat to medium-high. Add the dried potatoes in one layer. Leave them undisturbed for 2 minutes so the first face bronzes, then toss them at short intervals until several sides are golden and the centers are completely tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Hold them in a shallow dish in the low oven for no more than 15 minutes; crowd them deeply and their crisp edges soften.

5. 5

   Sauté the tournedos

   Wipe the skillet clean and heat it empty over medium-high heat until properly hot, about 2 minutes. Pepper the tournedos. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, and as soon as its foam begins to subside, lay in the beef with at least 1 inch / 2.5 cm between the pieces. Leave them alone for 2½ to 3 minutes, until the undersides carry a dark bronze crust, then turn them. Add the final 2 tablespoons of butter and spoon the foaming butter over the beef as the second sides cook, another 2½ to 3 minutes. Pull the tournedos at 120 to 125°F / 49 to 52°C for rare to medium-rare after resting, or at 130°F / 54°C for medium. If gray liquid collects around the beef, the pan has lost its heat. Lift out the tournedos, pour off the liquid, reheat the skillet, and return them. If the butter has blackened, wipe the pan and use the reserved butter. Ça se rattrape. Rest the beef on a warm plate for 6 minutes.

   Use a 12-inch / 30-cm skillet that holds all four tournedos without touching. If yours is smaller, cook two at a time and pull the first pair 5°F / 3°C shy of the target temperature.
6. 6

   Cook the noodles

   While the beef rests, return the potato water to a full boil. Add the fresh egg noodles, stir once to separate them, and cook until tender but still resilient under the teeth, usually 2 to 3 minutes. Drain them thoroughly without rinsing. They need no invented sauce; the salted cooking water seasons them, and they must go directly to the platter while still supple.

7. 7

   Build the platter

   Warm an oval serving platter, then arrange the four croûtes across its center and set one tournedos on each. Surround them with alternating generous heaps of egg noodles and butter-tossed potatoes. Do not mold the garnish into little towers; the source asks for heaps, and heaps are what feed people. The book also permits the potatoes among the tournedos with the noodles all around, or the reverse. Bring the platter straight to the table while the croûtes remain crisp and the beef is rosy within. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for four center-cut tenderloin steaks of equal thickness, not thin filet mignon medallions. Even dimensions mean the tournedos brown and finish together, which matters more here than buying the most expensive beef in the case.
• •There are no mushrooms in this specific Tournedos Forestière formula. Other classical uses of forestière may suggest them, but adding mushrooms or a mushroom sauce would replace the book's garnish rather than translate it.
• •Use firm, slightly stale pain de mie or a close-grained white loaf for the croûtes. Very fresh bread drinks butter and collapses; yesterday's loaf fries crisp while keeping enough structure to carry the beef.
• •A supple red Burgundy suits the mild fillet and its abundance of butter without overwhelming either. Serve the dish immediately. Leftover beef can be sliced cold, but reheated tournedos, softened croûtes, and clumped noodles have lost the point.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the bread rounds several hours ahead and leave them lightly covered at room temperature. A slightly dry surface helps them fry crisp instead of soaking up butter.
• •The potatoes may be peeled and diced up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them submerged in cold water, then drain and dry them thoroughly before parboiling.
• •The butter-fried croûtes can be made up to 1 hour ahead and refreshed on a rack in the low oven. Cook the potatoes, noodles, and tournedos close to serving; their texture depends on arriving promptly at the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 395g)