French Onion Beef Tenderloin

We made this on a random weeknight and let me tell you what, it sure was a tasty treat! It just takes about 45 minutes to throw together (less if you have a cooking buddy). You can use sirloin steak rather than filet mignon if you prefer. Michael was wishing he had more than one piece of bread, so you may want to cook some extra of those to eat on the side. We didn't have 2 large onions, so used 3 smallish ones and we sure had lots of extra onions. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you're not a huge onion lover, you may want to be cautious about how many you add. Modified from Eating Well; 3-4 servings (depends on how hungry you are). We also chose to serve this with some brussel sprouts that we've made before – which is a rarity so you know they're good. Hope you all are have great start to the new year!

Ingredients

• 1 pound filet mignon (2 filets)   
• 1/2 teaspoon minced dried onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 slices whole-grain baguette (1/2 inch thick)
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Directions

1. Sprinkle filets with dried onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the filets and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, turning once, until desired doneness, 3 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a plate and tent with foil.
2. Position a rack in upper third of oven. Preheat broiler.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add onions and sherry, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and golden brown and the liquid has evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes. 
4. Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir to coat. Add broth, thyme and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook until bubbling and thickened, about 1 minute more.
5. Remove from the heat and return the steaks and any accumulated juice to the pan. Pile up some of the onions on top of the steaks. Top each steak with a slice of baguette and some cheese.
6. Transfer the pan to the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Serve the steaks with the onions and sauce.