Beef tenderloin with sweet potatoes and wilted spinach

Tonight my delight of the evening was centered around a fine cut of beef, paired with the sweetest sweet potatoes and wilted spinach. The difference in flavors--sweet and citrus, pepper and garlic--made a great combination.

To start, you need the finest cut of meat you can get from your local grocer. I went for an 8 ounce fillet of beef tenderloin. To cook, rub the steak, uncut, with extra virgin olive oil then salt and pepper all over, patting the seasonings into the steak. In a hot skillet, quickly sear all sides of the steak to lock in the juices, then transfer to the oven where you will cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees.

Once the steak is in the oven, thoroughly wash your sweet potatoes and place into a pan of salted water which just covers the top of the potato. Boil until toothpick soft in the center, approximately 30 minutes. As the potatoes are nearly done, turn off the oven and let your steak sit, undisturbed until ready to serve.

Transfer your potatoes to a large bowl and remove the skins (they should come right off) and discard skins. Mash the potatoes with a fork, add in a pat of butter and blend on a low speed with a hand blender. Add in orange juice and continue blending until consistency is as you like it.

In a small skillet, melt a pat of butter and add washed spinach leaves, chopped fresh garlic, salt and pepper. Cook quickly until just wilted.

Remove the steak from the oven. Plate your food and top potatoes and spinach with crumbled feta cheese. Enjoy!