And he, he himself, the Grinch, carved the roast beast.”

~ The Grinch, 1966

So, I know all ten of you are hanging around just dying to know what in the heck your favorite frugal blogger is whipping up for Christmas dinner this year (you were wondering…weren’t you?). Well, all this shopping and merry-making has taken a toll on a frugal gal’s pocketbook. But I haven’t any plans to resort to peanut butter sandwiches or canned meat – although, who knows – Spam might come into play in January.

I’m going with beef, as always. I leave turkey for Thanksgiving, and ham for Easter. But Christmas dinner for the Dam’Fam has to be beef!

I absolutely love this recipe that I got ages ago from my lovely Aunt Vickie. My aunt is well-traveled and adventuresome, fluent in French, and of course, a wonderful cook. She made this boeuf (as the French say) tenderloin many years ago when she was feeding a ginormous crowd for Christmas. I’ve adopted the recipe and have been making it ever since!

Now, I’ll confess: I would absolutely love to serve a standing rib roast. A rib roast is both fabulous and impressive, but $9.99 a pound is enough to give a frugal gal sticker shock to linger long into the New Year. If you (like me) have your sweet little heart set on serving boeuf for Christmas dinner, but your head is minding the pennies, tenderloin is a no-brainer at $4.99 a pound!

Also on my Christmas table will be roasted garlic mashed potatoes (with the sale Yukon Golds, naturally), sauteed green beans and carrots, crispy popovers, and for a decadent finish, a luscious chocolate mousse.

All the best for a lovely, memorable, and delicious Holiday! ~ Leah

BACON WRAPPED BEEF TENDERLOIN

Serves: 10-12

• 1 c. ruby port
• ¾ c. soy sauce
• ½ c. good quality olive oil
• 1 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• Several dashes of tabasco
• 1 4-6 lb. beef tenderloin, trimmed
• 16-20 slices of best-quality bacon

Combine all marinade ingredients in a large glass measuring cup. Place beef in a large ziplock bag and pour marinade over meat. Press out air and squish the bag to coat the beef with the marinade. Refrigerate overnight, turning several times if possible.

Preheat the oven to 450. Drain the beef. Place a rack inside a roasting pan; place the beef on the rack, tucking the thin end under to ensure even cooking. Wrap bacon slices around the beef, securing with toothpicks (*see note). Insert thermometer into the thickest portion.

Roast tenderloin for 25-30 minutes for medium rare (140 degrees). Tent beef with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Transfer beef to cutting surface and cut into slices. Transfer to platter and serve.

*NOTE: I never do the toothpick step; I don’t think it’s necessary. I just wrap the bacon around the beef, making sure the loose ends are tucked securely beneath the tenderloin. Save your toothpicks for cocktail weenies!

I know you’re probably going to stop by the Store at some point today to take advantage of the great prices at the one-day meat and seafood sale.  If you haven’t already made a plan for dinner tonight, here is a delicious meat suggestion: pork tenderloin is on special for 2.99/pound (I’ve been told it’s in a value pack of four).

Unfortunately for me, I bought it yesterday when it wasn’t on sale, broke my rule, and paid full price.  But I was willing to do that for you, because I wanted to tell you about it today.  No need to thank me.  I’m here to help.

Anyway, even at full price ($4.99/pound), pork tenderloin is still a relative bargain in the meat department, but it can be boring and dry if it’s not handled properly.  A flavorful marinade can help it tremendously, and this recipe is my favorite preparation; it’s sweet, salty, and garlicky, and even if you have to skimp on the marinating time, it still imparts a delicious Asian flavor to the meat.  I only had three hours yesterday, but it came out great.

As you can tell from the photo, I paired the pork with some creamy Wasabi Mashed Potatoes (Yukon Golds are on sale) and crunchy Sesame Sugar Snap Peas (also on sale).  It was a terrific week night dinner, but could easily be served to company as well.

The leftovers make a great lunch – I’m eating the photo shoot right now!  Enjoy!

HONEY-GINGERED PORK TENDERLOINS

Serves:  4

Source:  made with little adaptation from epicurious.com

• 2 – ¾ lb. pork tenderloins
• ¼ c. honey
• ¼ c. soy
• ¼ c. oyster sauce
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 T. minced fresh ginger
• 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 T. ketchup
• ¼ t. onion powder
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper

Pat pork dry and place in a large ziplock bag.  In a large Pyrex measuring cup, whisk all of the ingredients together and pour the marinade into the bag.  Turn the pork well to coat.  Chill pork, covered, for at least 8 hours and up to 1 day, turning several times.

Preheat the oven to 425.  Allow the pork to come to room temperature while you’re preheating the oven.  Line a 9×13 pan with foil for easier cleanup.  Remove the pork from the marinade and allow excess marinade to drip off.  Place in the pan (I set mine atop a small rack inside the baking dish).  Roast pork for 25-30 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer registers 155 degrees.  Remove from pan, transfer to cutting board, and tent with foil.  Allow to rest for ten minutes (don’t skip this step) before slicing thinly and serving.

NOTE:  Since you probably will be buying a value pack, consider doubling the marinade and dividing the four tenderloins into two large ziplocks.  I like to press out all of the air in the second bag, and stick it in the freezer for a rainy day.  Remove it from the freezer to the fridge 24 hours ahead of when you’d like to serve it.  I’ve done this several times and it’s turned out great!

SIMPLE WASABI MASHED POTATOES

Serves:  4-5

Source:  Leah

Don’t let the wasabi scare you, these aren’t at all spicy.

• 6 small to medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes (from a 5 lb. bag, on sale), peeled and cut into quarters
• 1/3 c. whole milk (more if you like your potatoes a little looser)
• 3 T. butter (more if you’ve taken your Zocor today)
• 1 t. wasabi powder combined with 1 t. water to form a paste
• Sea salt to taste

Place the potatoes in a stock pot and fill with enough water to cover by about an inch.  Add a generous tablespoon of salt to the pot.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.  Drain potatoes well and return to the pan.

Place milk and butter in a microwaveable bowl (I use a glass Pyrex measuring cup) and heat until butter melts.  Whisk in the wasabi paste bit by bit, until the milk mixture achieves a subtle wasabi flavor (I used all of it).  Add this mixture to the potatoes.  Using an electric hand mixer, mix/mash the potatoes until you reach your favorite consistency.  Season with salt to taste.

SESAME SUGAR SNAP PEAS

Serves:  4-6

Source:  epicurious.com

• 1 lb. sugar snap peas, stringed (on sale!)
• 1 t. toasted sesame seeds
• 1 t. sesame oil

Bring ½” of water to a boil in a shallow pan set over medium-high heat.  Place a steamer basket and the snap peas in the pan, cover tightly, and steam for 3 minutes.  Transfer to a serving dish.  Drizzle with the sesame seeds and oil, and season with salt to taste.  Toss to coat.  Serve immediately.