When people phone the show and ask for a great easy-to-prepare entree for a crowd, I always recommend roasting tenderloin of beef. It's expensive, but you get 100 percent yield out of the cut, it slices up easily and elegantly, and it's delicious served hot or at room temperature. You can even serve it chilled, with horseradish sauce, say, at a backyard party. Whip up the horseradish sauce from scratch by mixing together sour cream, lemon juice, prepared or freshly grated horseradish (soak the freshly grated stuff in a little white wine vinegar first), and salt and pepper, to taste. If you're serving your roast hot, you can still season and sear it about one hour before your guests arrive, then put it in the oven about 50 minutes before you want to eat it. This recipe's sauce, made in the pan in which the tenderloin was roasted, takes advantage of the roast's succulent drippings.

Ingredients

Beef and Sauce:

• 1 (4-pound) beef tenderloin roast, trimmed and tied
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 4 medium shallots, minced
• 4 teaspoons dried tarragon
• 16 cornichons (French pickles) or dill gherkins, julienned
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon leaves

Garnish:

• Green Beans with Red Onion and Mustard Vinaigrette, recipe follows
• Roasted cauliflower florets, as needed
• Roasted halved new potatoes (tossed with olive oil and chopped rosemary leaves), as needed
• Roasted baby carrots (tossed with butter and chopped chives), as needed
• Roasted cherry or grape tomatoes, as needed

Directions

Green Beans with Red Onion and Mustard Vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons mustard seeds

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook mustard seeds, stirring, until they pop and are 1 shade darker, about 2 minutes. Transfer oil with seeds to a large bowl.

Simmer vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, then cool 5 minutes.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in cleaned skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion, stirring, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar, then add to mustard oil in large bowl.

Have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water.

Cook beans in a pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and plunge into ice water to stop cooking, then drain well.

Toss beans with vinaigrette and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ease of Preparation: Easy