Looking for the perfect special occasion dinner? This balsamic dijon beef tenderloin roast is both simple and impressive. Served with a Meyer lemon gremolata, it’s great as a holiday dish too!

This beef tenderloin roast took 5 different stores and a heck of a lot of frustration to procure.

Apparently, you can buy beef tenderloin in cute little 1 pound or less steaks (which is basically filet mignon) or, you can buy about 9 pounds of it in roast form (9 pounds x an average of $15.99/lb, you can quickly do that math and figure out why I didn’t give up and just buy the huge roast) but, you cannot easily find a 2-3 pound roast for say, a normal 4 serving dinner.

I might’ve let out an audible “finally!” in the meat department when I found this.

Luckily, it was 8:45pm and the place was about to close so not too many people got to witness the crazy.

So, Valentine’s Day…

I can’t even remember the last time we actually did something for it since someone always seems to be working or traveling somewhere.

This year will be no different as Ulysses is working and I’ll likely be spending it visiting my brand new niece but it made eating this beautiful balsamic dijon beef tenderloin roast a week early seem ok.

If you’re someone who likes steak medium or more well done, this isn’t the recipe for you.

Don’t bother wasting your money (because this meal isn’t necessarily cheap, although cheaper than ordering it at a restaurant for sure) on this cut of meat and go cook a flank steak or something to death instead.

I feel the same about pan seared duck breast and venison backstrap, cook it medium rare or just don’t cook it at all!

If you’re someone, however, who gets giddy at the sight of that perfectly still almost bleeding red color and opening that 20 year aged balsamic vinegar that’s been hiding in the cabinet since your trip to Italy 2 years ago…

THIS is what you need to make for Valentine’s Day.

It’s beyond simple (a beef tenderloin roast that cooks for less than 30 minutes, say whaaaa??) and there’s literally nothing in the world that goes better with this meal than a glass of dark, chewy red wine.

Rare steak + red wine…both aphrodisiacs.

Just sayin’.

While this recipe cooks entirely in the oven, you could always switch up the method and try a reverse sear with this recipe. It would also work great and ensures an evenly cooked roast every time.

The crust is mustardy and sweet from the balsamic (seriously, buy some good stuff for this recipe) and salty while the Meyer lemon gremolata makes every bite pop with freshness.

It’s basically like my dream bite of flavors all on one forkful.

Looking for other Valentine’s Day dinner ideas?
Pistachio Crusted Lamb Chops with Red Wine Cherries
Citrus Braised Lamb Shanks with Green Harissa
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Flank Steak