Beef Tips Au Poivre With Mashed Potatoes

Classic beef tips in a peppered brandy cream sauce served over buttery puréed potatoes.

“I think every restaurant in New York City had steak Au Poivre on the menu in the 90’s. We did tend to hit all the small French bistros late at night after our own kitchen closed. It is a classic dish for a reason, it’s easy to make, delicious and only uses a handful of ingredients. The important thing is to use good ingredients and proper techniques.” Tara

What ingredients do you need for beef tips Au poivre with mashed potatoes?

• Fillet Mignon or New York Strip
• Black Pepper
• Butter
• Grapeseed oil
• Kosher Sea Salt
• Shallots
• Garlic
• Brandy
• Heavy Cream
• Parsley
• Red bliss or Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Sour Cream
• Milk

The Recipe

Place a large sauté pan on the stove and heat on medium until very hot. While waiting for the pan to get hot, season the beef tips with the cracked black pepper and sea salt. Add oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to the hot pan. When the butter is melted, add the beef to the pan making sure all the pieces are touching the bottom of the pan. Let the bottom caramelize and so not stir.

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When there is color on the first side flip and sear all sides. You may have to sear the beef in batches. You do not want to overcrowd your pan. This will cause them to steam and they will be soggy. When all the beef is browned remove from the heat and add the rest of the butter and shallots to the pan. Sauté for 2 minutes, then add the chopped garlic.

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Sauté another 2 minutes and deglaze with brandy. Let the brandy reduce by half. You want the alcohol to evaporate and just leave the good flavor. When the brandy is reduced, add the heavy cream and reduce again by half. Add the beef tips back into the sauté pan, stir then taste and season with salt and pepper.

For the mashed potatoes, cut them in half and place them on a stove covered by water in a large pot. Add the kosher salt and bring to a boil. Let them boil for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Strain the potatoes and start mashing them. Add the milk, butter, and sour cream. Taste and season with sea salt and pepper.

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Recipe Tips?  

• Beef tips are usually made from Beef tenderloin. This is where you get Fillet Mignon. When they are cutting the fillets the scraps can be cubed. This means you do not want to use them for a recipe that will cook them well done. There is very little fat so they need to be seared and hopefully served medium rare or medium at the most. You do not want to use a top round or a cut that is tuff and has a lot of muscle.
• When cooking with alcohol, you want to use a brand that you would drink. If you don't want to drink it, you do not want to cook with it.

Make Ahead?

• This is a recipe that should be cooked right before serving, because the sauce is a pan sauce you need to make it all together.
• The mashed potatoes can be made ahead of time and reheated by adding additional milk to bring it back to the proper consistency.

Storing tips?

• The mashed potatoes can be stored for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, in an airtight container.
• The beef and sauce can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

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