Filet Mignon and Dino Tots
Fine dining meets the reality of raising five-year-old twins.
Tonight's dinner was grilled filet mignon, garlic and thyme roasted vegetables, and dinosaur-shaped potatoes.
Yes, dinosaur potatoes.
The steaks were seasoned with my favorite pre-mixed rub and grilled outside, while a colorful mix of vegetables roasted in the oven.
And the Dino Tots?
Well, I made them for the kids. And I wasn't about to cook an entirely separate side dish just because I was eating filet mignon.
Sometimes fine dining comes in the shape of a stegosaurus.
Grilled Filet Mignon
Servings: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Grill time: Approximately 12 minutes
Rest time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
2 filet mignon steaks, approximately 1½ inches thick
Your favorite steak rub, I use Traeger Prime Rib rub
Instructions
Preheat your propane grill, setting up one area for high direct heat and another for indirect cooking.
Season both sides of the filets with Traeger Prime Rib Rub.
Place the steaks over high heat and sear for 2 minutes per side.
Move the steaks to indirect heat and continue grilling for approximately 4 minutes per side.
Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer and remove the steaks when they reach your preferred doneness.
Allow the steaks to rest for approximately 5 minutes before serving.
STM Kitchen Tip: Steak thickness and grill temperature make a difference. These times worked for our 1½-inch filets, but a meat thermometer is your best friend when grilling an expensive piece of beef.
Garlic & Thyme Roasted Vegetables
Servings: Approximately 2–3
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Oven temperature: 425°F
Ingredients
2 cups broccoli florets
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
1 handful tricolor baby carrots
Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the vegetables
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425°F.
Line a large baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil.
Cut the zucchini and yellow squash into bite-sized pieces. If the baby carrots are particularly thick, slice them lengthwise so they'll cook evenly.
Arrange the broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots on the prepared baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, and thyme.
Toss everything together until the vegetables are evenly coated.
Spread the vegetables into a single layer.
Roast for approximately 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown around the edges.
STM Kitchen Tip: Don't skip the nonstick aluminum foil. It makes cleanup easier and helps prevent the vegetables from sticking. Because after cooking dinner, the last thing I want to do is scrub a baking sheet.
The Dino Tots
Ingredients
Frozen dinosaur-shaped potato tots
Instructions
Prepare according to the package directions.
That's it. No homemade potato mixture, no special seasoning, no attempt to disguise them as something sophisticated.
They're dinosaur tots. Let them be dinosaur tots.
Putting Dinner Together
I started the roasted vegetables first since they needed about 25 minutes in the oven.
While the vegetables roasted, I preheated the grill, seasoned the steaks, and prepared the dinosaur tots according to the package directions.
The filets took approximately 12 minutes on the grill, followed by a short rest.
Everything came together as a complete dinner: tender grilled filet mignon, colorful roasted vegetables, and a few perfectly respectable prehistoric potatoes.
A Little Suburban Twin Mom Perspective
Before having kids, I probably wouldn't have imagined serving dinosaur-shaped potatoes alongside filet mignon.
But here's the thing about feeding a family: not every component of dinner needs to be made from scratch, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with combining a nice steak with something convenient.
The kids got their dinosaur tots. I got my steak. Everyone got fed.
And I only had to make one starch.
I'd call that a successful dinner.
From my suburban kitchen to yours — enjoy!
-Suburban Twin Mom
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