A Special-Occasion Beef Tenderloin With a Joint-Friendly Twist

On World Arthritis Day, cooking a meal that feels special doesn’t have to mean hours in the kitchen. When arthritis makes chopping, stirring and standing at the stove harder, recipes with fewer steps can make a big difference. This beef tenderloin needs just six ingredients, and much of the cooking time is hands-off while it roasts in the oven. Ask your butcher to trim and tie the roast, and make the bleu cheese butter in advance, so there’s even less to do on the day of the meal.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon ground pepper
• 1 (3 1/2-pound) beef tenderloin roast, trimmed and tied
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 5 ounces crumbled bleu cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small bowl, blend salt and pepper. Place tenderloin on a rack in a roasting pan or on a high-sided baking sheet lined with foil.
3. Pat meat dry and rub on all sides with the olive oil, then pat seasonings on, taking care to get the bottom and sides of the tenderloin. Let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
4. While the meat sits, mash butter and bleu cheese together in a bowl. If you’re making it the day of the meal, serve it from the bowl.
5. If you’re making this in advance, dump the butter onto one end of a 12-inch-square piece of parchment or waxed paper, then roll it up, forming a log, and twist the ends to contain the butter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to one week.
6. Roast beef for 40 to 50 minutes (timing will depend on the shape of your tenderloin), or until it reaches 130 degrees for medium-rare.
7. Let the roast rest 10 minutes before slicing into inch-thick rounds.
8. Unwrap bleu cheese butter and slice into 1/2-inch-thick discs. Serve meat warm and pass butter as a topping.

This recipe was originally published on Arthritis Foundation.