Roasted Tri-Tip with Leeks and Mushrooms

I am loving leeks and all the other spring onions right now.  I am not a fan of raw onions but adore them when they are cooked to smithereens in as much butter as is reasonable (is there such a thing as an unreasonable amount of butter?).  I had planned to grill this tri-tip but we had one of our gray May days a couple of weekends back and wanted something warm and cozy.   I served this with polenta.  Another great preparation for the tri-tip is to sub rosemary for the thyme and serve with roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary.

 Roasted Tri-Tip with Leeks and Mushrooms

Ingredients

Tri-Tip:
1 Tri-Tip, trimmed of excess fat (leave some)
3-4 sprigs Fresh Thyme, leaves removed and crushed with fingers
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Leeks and Mushrooms:
3-4 large leeks
4 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 pint crimini mushrooms, sliced (or 1 pkg sliced crimini's from TJ's)
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and crushed
Salt and Pepper


Method for Tri-Tip:

1) Place tri-tip ingredients in a large ziplock, smush around, and set it on the counter for up to an hour, or in the fridge for 8-12 hours.  If you don't have time, just smush it and skip to the roasting.

2) Heat oven to 450.

3) Place meat in dish that will hold it without too much room around the sides (I use either a large cast-iron skillet or a Le Cruset baking dish).

4) Roast for 25 minutes and then begin checking the temperature every 7-10 minutes.  Remove from oven when meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 120 degrees.  This will ensure that the thick parts are med-rare and the thin parts are medium.

5) Let rest for 10 minutes then slice against the grain and serve.







Method for Leeks:

1) Prepare leeks by cutting off root end and the toughest part of the green end, then slicing length-wise through approximately 2/3 of the leek (don't slice through the root end yet).  Wash thoroughly and then slice width-wise into 1/3 inch thick slices.











2) Combine butter and olive oil in med-large saute pan and melt over medium heat.  Add leeks, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and saute until soft, about 10 minutes.







3) Add mushrooms and thyme and saute until mushrooms are soft, about another 10 minutes.   Taste and adjust seasonings.