INA GARTEN BEEF TENDERLOIN

1 – wire rack and baking sheet set – You can use this for a ton of different things, but it’s most useful in this recipe as the place where you will want to rest the tenderloin while you’re rubbing down the coating, and also while you let it settle after cooking.
1 – medium-sized mixing bowls – This is perfect for stirring your butter mixture without getting spices and melted butter all over the place! We love the clean, clear look of the hard plastic, transparent bowls.
1 – stainless steel skillet – Something like an 8-inch mixer is perfect to thin the balsamic, or whatever type of sauce mixture you end up deciding to go with. Stainless is great for pretty much everything except eggs, and gets a really nice, dark maillard effect on meat when it’s cooked.
Chef knife – You need something light, sharp, and easy to sharpen to really work well in cutting red meat. Paudin makes a really affordable, great chef knife for under $30!

Stir butter, salt, mustard, pepper, and garlic.
Place beef on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Rub butter mixture all over beef, and chill, uncovered, at least 8 hours.
Let beef stand about 20 minutes at room temperature. Returning to room temperature before cooking helps the tenderloin to cook more evenly.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Bake in preheated oven until meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the tenderloin registers 135°F, which takes 25 to 30 minutes. This is an exact medium-rare.
While cooking, heat the balsamic vinegar in a pan for 15-20 minutes on medium-high heat and let reduce until the reduction thinly coats the back of a spoon. It will change from tasting like vinegar, to tasting sweet and savory.
Cover with aluminum foil; make sure to let rest about 15 minutes before slicing
Serve with common sides – often a form of potato (baked, mashed, au gratin, etc…) and salad