Peppered Beef With Watercress And Cucumber Salad

• 2 cups stemmed watercress
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeded and julienned
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 8 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into 4 equal pieces and flattened to almost 1/4 inch
• 2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns

1. Toss the watercress and cucumbers together in a glass or ceramic bowl.
2. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.
3. Set aside.
4. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.
5. Meanwhile, coat each piece of beef on both sides in the peppercorns.
6. Place in the pan and saute until medium rare, about 30 seconds per side.
7. Place 1 piece of beef on each of 4 plates, top with the salad and serve immediately.

watercress, cucumbers, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, beef tenderloin, cracked black

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9130 (may not work)