Beef Tenderloin in Ancho-Bourbon Sauce

Recipe from Michaels, Fort Worth.

Ranch Potato Wedges

6 baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy saucepan, sauté garlic and shallots in butter over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add potatoes and sauté over medium heat for several minutes, or until potatoes become starchy. Season with salt and pepper and stir in cream and 1/2 cup of cheese. Reduce liquid until thick enough to coat potatoes. Transfer to a buttered 6-inch diameter cake pan 2 inches deep and top with remaining cheese. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until well browned.

Ancho-Bourbon Sauce

4 ancho chiles
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 1/2 cups demi-glace
1/4 cup Jim Beam bourbon
salt and pepper to taste

Core and seed chiles. Cover in boiling water and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, or until soft. Purée in a blender with enough water to make a paste. Set aside. Cook sugar in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until caramelized to a deep golden brown. Add 3/4 cup ancho purée and “fry” until mixture turns a maroon color. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add demi-glace and simmer slowly for 15 minutes. Add bourbon and simmer for 5 minutes more. Strain into a clean container. Season with salt and pepper.

Pepper-Crusted Tenderloin

6 center-cut beef tenderloin filets, 6 to 8 ounces each
salt to taste
1 cup whole peppercorns, ground in a blender
1 stick butter

Lightly salt each filet and dredge thoroughly in pepper, brushing off the larger pieces. Melt butter in a heavy, 12-inch skillet and cook steaks over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes. Then slowly roll each steak to cook edges, until a crisp crust forms. To serve, cut filets in half against the grain and arrange attractively on a plate with a wedge of ranch potatoes. Ladle sauce over meat. Serves 6.