Nothing says special occasion like beef tenderloin, but this recipe could be the easiest beef tenderloin you ever make. It requires minimal amount of time and toil to assemble and season, and then the oven concentrates the flavors. It cooks for 40 to 50 minutes—enough time to make a salad, set the table, or just relax and enjoy the appetizing aromas filling your kitchen.  Read Quick Prep, Easy Roast for six additional holiday-worthy roasts, including Spice-Crusted Roast Pork Tenderloin and Rack of Lamb with Ancho-Honey Glaze. And, for more beef tenderloin recipes, visit the Guide to Christmas.  

Don’t be scared off by the liver in this stuffing. It’s really there just to bind the stuffing and add a rich background note; you won’t even notice it.

You'll be amazed at what a difference dry-aging makes: the dehydration concentrates the meat's flavor, making it mellower, yet beefier. But if you lack the time or inclination to dry-age the beef, you can skip that step. (Start with a 4 to 4-1/2-lb. roast if not dry-aging.)

Roasting a beef tenderloin in a salt crust helps keep moisture in, making the meat tender and juicy. For an impressive main course, serve each portion of tenderloin over Warm Potato Salad with Gorgonzola, Baby Spinach & Walnuts.

For a special occasion, serve this luxurious cut of meat with Red Wine Sauce, Creamed Spinach Amandine, and Potatoes Mousseline. If you're looking for more great recipes staring beef tenderloin, check out these recipes perfect for an elegant holiday celebration, or see our collection of special-occasion beef roasts.  Fennel & Rosemary Beef Tenderloin with Creamy Mustard Sauce Beef Tenderloin Roasted in a Salt Crust Slow-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Double-Mushroom Ragoût Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Caramelized Shallots & Red Wine For complete holiday menus featuring beef tenderloin—or to make a menu yourself—visit our Guide to Christmas Dinner (any time of the year), where you'll also also find a video on how to butterfly and stuff a tenderloin with a rich mushroom stuffing.

If you have a heavy-duty roasting pan, sear the filets right in the pan on the stove. Otherwise, use a large, heavy-based skillet.

Marinating the ribs overnight leaves the meat deeply infused with the flavors of wine and spice, and the red wine helps the beef brown beautifully, giving the whole dish a deeper color.

Ask for filets from near the tail end of the tenderloin so they’re tall and narrow, rather than short and wide.

Brining the turkey and rubbing an intensely flavored butter under the skin before roasting guarantees a juicy bird.

To brine the turkey you need space for a 5-gallon pot in your refrigerator. If you have neither the room nor the pot, you can cook the brine in a smaller pan and proceed with one of our alternative brining methods.

If you're planning to make a brined turkey, make sure you don't buy a kosher turkey, which has already been treated with salt.

Basting with cider during the last hour of roasting creates a sweet and beautiful bronze-glazed finish.

Earthy mushrooms and rich, heady truffle oil make this dish a holiday standout. For the wild mushrooms, I like to use a mix of chanterelles, porcini, and morels.

Stuffing chicken breasts with minced rosemary and garlic and then tying the breasts together creates little roasts infused with flavor.

These stuffed chicken breasts can be assembled and refrigerated for up to three hours before cooking.

Make this glazed ham the star of your crowd-friendly buffet. It's delicious warm or at room temperature and it makes great sandwiches, too. To give your guests that option, serve with biscuits (store-bought or homemade), horseradish cream spread, and orange-maple mustard.

This is the time of year to pull out all the stops and make something really fancy like this stuffed crown roast of pork. But don’t worry: since you buy the roast already tied, all you have to do is treat the center of the roast like a bowl and fill it up. This is definitely one to carve at the table so everyone can appreciate how gorgeous it is.

Honey-spiced lamb is a traditional Moroccan festival meal. This simplified version makes the most of the way sweet honey balances the richness of the lamb.

This easy pork tenderloin roast is a stress-free Sunday dinner favorite. It features a crunchy, flavorful spiced breadcrumb crust and is delicious served with a little tangy chutney on the side.

I love rack of veal, but I save it for very special occasions because it’s generally a special-order cut, and it isn’t cheap.

A sweet-and-pungent glaze gives this pork roast the flavors of winter, and make it special enough for a holiday meal. Play up the seasonal flavors by pairing it with Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage. The maple-mustard glaze is also great on pork tenderloin or roast chicken; brush it on halfway through cooking.

Perfect for Sunday dinner or entertaining, this mostly hands-off roast is a crowd-pleaser.

An assortment of cremini, shiitake, and chanterelles are delicious in the stuffing. Dried porcini add oomph and depth. This stuffing also works well with pork.