Caramelized Onion And Blue Cheese-Smothered Filet Mignon Recipe
Any kind of steak these days will likely set you back a hefty sum, but filet mignon is seen as being more special than most other types and will likely come with a higher price tag, as well. In this case, you'll want to take extra care to cook your filet mignon just right. This super-saucy steak recipe, which features both caramelized onions and blue cheese, is upscale enough that developer Leah Maroney calls it "The perfect dish for a fancy dinner party."
The recipe, as Maroney tells us, "has three very separate components: blue cheese sauce, caramelized onions, and seared filets." If you want to add a few additional filets to the pan, she says you may feel free to do so, since as she notes, "There is quite a bit of blue cheese sauce and onions." Since everything in the recipe cooks in a single pan, Maroney assures us that "Cleanup is a breeze," which will no doubt help to lighten your load when your dinner party is over and your guests have gone home.
Collect the ingredients for the caramelized onion and blue cheese-smothered filet mignon
The main thing you will need here is filet mignon, of course, plus onions and blue cheese crumbles to make the sauce. The other ingredients for this recipe include bacon, butter, salt, pepper, garlic, heavy cream, and Worcestershire sauce.
Cook the bacon and onions
Fry the bacon until it's crispy, then take it out of the pan and add 2 tablespoons of butter to the grease. Use this mixture to fry the sliced onions for about 25 minutes, stirring them frequently. Once the onions are very soft and brown, stir the bacon in, then take both ingredients out of the pan.
Sear the steaks
Sprinkle the salt over the steaks along with half of the pepper, then crank up the heat until the pan is smoking hot. Lower the heat to medium, toss in the steaks, and cook them for 5 minutes on each side (10 minutes in all). Don't move the steaks as they sear except to flip them over at the 5-minute mark. If you want medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 130 F when you stick it in the middle of the meat. When the steaks come out of the pan, cover them with a tent made of aluminum foil.
Make the blue cheese sauce
Melt the rest of the butter in the pan, then use it to fry the garlic for maybe a minute until it gets soft and smells garlicky. Pour the cream into the pan, then stir in the blue cheese crumbles, Worcestershire sauce, and the rest of the pepper. Heat the mixture to a low boil, stirring as it cooks. Keep cooking the sauce for 3 minutes once it hits the boiling point, then put the steaks back in the pan. If you're using the optional herbs, add these too, then stir in the onions and bacon.
If you prefer, you can skip the part where you put the steaks, bacon, and onions in the pan. Just pour this sauce over the steaks, then put the bacon and onions on top. You can accompany the steaks with a starchy side such as mashed potatoes, french fries, or rice if you like, or go lighter with something like a green salad.
Leftover steaks should be good in the fridge for 5 days as long as you seal them in a container of some sort. Maroney even has a suggestion for re-purposing them, telling us they're "delicious sliced over a salad the next day."
- 4 slices bacon, roughly chopped
- 3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 4 (8-ounce) filet mignons
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 ounces blue cheese crumbles
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- fresh rosemary or thyme
- Heat your cast iron skillet on high heat and sauté the chopped bacon until it is browned and crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan, leaving behind the grease.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the skillet with the bacon grease on medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions and sauté until extremely soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
- Add the bacon back into the pan with the onions to heat it back up. Then remove them from the pan and set aside.
- Season the steaks with the salt and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Heat the same cast iron pan on high until it is smoking.
- Turn the heat to medium and immediately add the steaks to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes per side or until the center reaches 130 F for medium rare. Do not move the steaks until the 5 minutes are up to ensure proper searing.
- Remove the steaks from the pan and allow them to rest on a plate with a foil tent over the top. Add the remaining butter to the cast iron skillet along with the minced garlic. Turn the heat to low. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the heavy cream, blue cheese crumbles, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining black pepper. Stir to combine and allow to come to a low roiling boil, stirring frequently. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the steaks directly back to the pan along with the herbs if you like and then the caramelized onions and bacon. Alternatively, you can add the steaks to a plate, ladle the sauce over the top, and then top them with the caramelized onions and bacon.
| Calories per Serving | 1,121 |
| Total Fat | 93.4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 47.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 1.2 g |
| Cholesterol | 330.5 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 11.2 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.6 g |
| Total Sugars | 5.7 g |
| Sodium | 1,047.3 mg |
| Protein | 58.0 g |
