Pan-Roasted Filet Mignon with Potato-Walnut Confit, Port Wine Sauce and Spicy Shallot Rings

One of the first celebrity chefs we started to follow was Emeril Lagasse back in the 1990’s. We’ve been to his restaurants in Las Vegas and New Orleans.

We’ve owned the cookbook for years and have been making this particular recipe since 2008. It makes a great presentation and we’ve served it many times for guests. I have seen versions of this recipe many times on other websites. The book can be purchased HERE.

We find Emeril’s recipes creative with lots of great flavor, mostly with ingredients you can find at your local grocer.

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First we roasted the potatoes

Once roasted we tossed with cooked bacon and walnuts.

This is one of the best parts of this dish. It’s one more step, but it really pulls the whole entrée together.

We have an ancient fryer, that I am embarrassed to photograph ;). We fry in that to avoid getting oil everywhere. I imagine an air fryer would work really well for these. The recipe does call to simply fry in a skillet.

Next is the beautiful port sauce. This seems like a lot of steps, but if prepped well, it all comes together quickly! I do not use an expensive port, but I do stick by the rule; if I would not drink it, do not cook with it.

I love when the butter begins to incorporate, creating the richness of the sauce.

Pan roasting the filets.

Use the same skillet throughout, removing the sauce, then shallots, each once cooked, and keep warm. Sear the filets on the stove for 2 minutes a side. Then top each with a generous hunk of stilton cheese (blue cheese works as well) and place in the oven to finish cooking.

Pull it all together on a platter for an enticing presentation. Note; the recipe calls for 4 filets. We love sauce in any form, so we make a full recipe of shallots and sauce, but with only two filets.

Since this is a Saturday night, we chose a very nice wine to accompany this dish. We love Artemis from Stags Leap, one of the most premiere wine growing regions in the world, producing some of the best Cabernet Sauvignons made. Yum!

Yield: 4

Author: Emeril Lagasse

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Pan-Roasted Filet Mignons with Potato-Walnut Confit, Port Wine Sauce and Spicy Shallot Rings

Our at home adventure cooking this classic dish from Emeril

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 2 Hour

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. small red or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3 ozs. bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup Ruby port
• 1 cup veal (or beef) stock
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 8 oz. filet mignon steaks
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese (Stilton works well)
• Chopped Parsley for garnish

Spicy Shallot Rings

• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced shallot rings
• 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (Tabasco) 
• 4 cups vegetable oil, for deep frying (or use an air fryer)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and pepper.  Spread on the baking sheet and roast until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and transfer to a large bowl.  Leave the oven on
3. Heat a large skillet (cast iron works really well) over medium-high heat.  Add the bacon pieces and cook, stirring, until just starting to turn golden, about 2 minutes.  Add the walnuts and cook about 2 more minutes.  Transfer with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the potatoes.  Cover tightly with foil and keep warm. 
4. Add the chopped shallots and garlic to the same skillet and cook, stirring for 30 seconds.  Add the Port and stir to deglaze, loosening any browned bits in the pan, then cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.  Add the stock and cooking, stirring, again, until reduced by half, about 9-10 minutes.  Reduce the heat slightly and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, incorporating each piece of butter, while whisking constantly.  If needed, remove the pan from the heat to prevent the sauce from getting too hot and breaking.  The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.
5. Season each filet on both sides with 1/2 teaspoon each the remaining salt and cracked pepper.
6. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter with the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over high heat.  Add the filets and cook for 3 minutes on each side.  Place 2 tablespoons of the cheese on the top of each filet.  Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until medium rare (140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), 8-10 minutes.  Remove from the oven.
7. To serve, mound the potatoes in the center of four plates (or on a serving dish).  Lay the filets on top of the potatoes and top with the sauce.  Garnish with the remaining 1/2 cup of blue cheese, the fired shallots and parsley.  

Spicy Shallot Rings

1. In a bowl, toss the shallots with the pepper sauce.  Let marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a deep heavy saucepan or deep fryer (or use an air fryer).  Put the flour in a shallow bowl and season with the salt and pepper.  Dredge the shallot rings in the flour to coat evenly, tapping off the excess.  Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
3. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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