Why have a bowl of cereal as a late-night dinner when you can quickly assemble the perfect steak sandwich?
Among the topics that chefs regularly obsess about is what we eat when we get home late at night. One chef I used to know would try to perfect the 30-minute trifle. For some, though, there is a regular theme: a bowl of Weet-Bix or muesli or a variation on a cheese, corn and onion toasted sandwich. Others opt for a grilled chicken sandwich or the perfect steak sandwich.
A steak sandwich needs to be many things. The meat is usually cooked in foaming butter until rare, but must be well caramelised. The onions should be fried in the pan after the steak is cooked. Also, the toast must be dripping in mayonnaise, peppery rocket leaves should be used over any other variety, and the tomatoes must be ripe and flavoursome. Pesto is optional, but I love it. For a truly satisfying sandwich, though, it must be topped with a fried egg with a runny yolk …
The Perfect Steak Sandwich
3 tbsp olive oil
150g beef fillet, scotch steak or eye of rump
2 tbsp unsalted butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, finely sliced
1 egg
2 thick slices of bread
1 tbsp mayonnaise
½ cup rocket leaves
1 ripe tomato, sliced thickly
1 tbsp basil pesto
Heat a frying pan and add the oil. Fry the steak on one side until nicely caramelised, then add half the butter and turn the steak over to finish cooking. Baste the steak with the juices as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper and remove to a plate to rest and keep it warm. Add the onion to the pan and cook until golden brown, scraping up any leftover bits of meat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove the onion from the pan and place on top of the steak. Add the remaining butter to the pan and fry the egg until cooked. Remove it from the pan and place on top of the onion. Toast the bread, then spread with mayonnaise. Top with rocket and tomato slices. Smear with pesto. Place the steak on top of all this, then complete with the remaining slice of toast. Bliss.
Serves 1.
POACHED FILLET OF BEEF may sound unusual and it’s not the sort of dish you can quickly whip up for dinner, but if you have guests coming over, and want to spend a bit of time on the preparation, it’s a showstopper. I like to sear the beef first because this gives it a deeper flavour.
Beef À la Ficelle
(POACHED FILLET OF BEEF WITH AROMATIC VEGETABLES)
6 x 180g beef fillet steaks
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 onion, sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into
1cm dice
6 baby beetroot, peeled
2 medium potatoes, peeled and balled
using a melon baller
12 baby turnips, peeled
1 litre beef stock
1 litre chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
2 cloves garlic
12 spears asparagus, already cooked
sea salt
2 tbsp horseradish cream
Tie each steak with butcher’s twine, making sure to leave one long end. The twine will help to retain the shape of the meat as well as giving you a means to remove it from the stock. Heat the oil in a frying pan and quickly sear the beef on all sides. Season with the salt and pepper. Remove the beef to a deep pot and hang the long ends of twine over the sides – I tie the ends to the handles.
Add the onion, carrot, beetroot, potato and turnips to the pot. Add the stocks. Bring to a gentle simmer, then add the herbs and garlic and cook the steaks for 12 minutes (for medium rare) from the time the broth starts to simmer. Lift the steaks out of the stock, then remove the twine and cover while they rest for 10 minutes. Lift the vegetables out of the stock and divide between 6 bowls. Divide the cooked asparagus between the bowls (the hot stock will warm it through). Ladle the stock over the vegetables. Cut each steak in half and place the pieces in the centre. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with horseradish cream.
Serves 6.
THIS NEXT RECIPE IS MUCH less work, and is a meal in itself.
Grilled Steak with Rosemary-and-Garlic-Fried Potatoes, Green Beans and Reduced Pan Juices
4 medium Agria potatoes, washed but
not peeled
3 tbsp olive oil
4 x 180g beef steaks
2 tbsp unsalted butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
125ml red wine
300ml olive oil
8 cloves garlic, unpeeled and crushed
lightly
2 sprigs rosemary, picked off the stem
400g green beans, shredded
Bring the potatoes to the boil in a large pot of water. Cook until the skins start to peel and the centre feels tender when tested with a sharp knife – about 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let them cool. Do not run them under cold water or they will go soggy! When they’re cool enough to handle, peel and dice into 3cm cubes. The potatoes can be done days ahead and kept in the refrigerator.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and fry the steaks until they are browned. Add the butter, then turn the steaks over and finish cooking to suit your preference, basting with the juices as they cook. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the steaks to a plate to rest and keep it warm.
Pour the wine into the pan and bring to the boil. Stir to loosen any bits of meat that may have stuck to the pan and reduce the juices by half – about 3 minutes. In a deep frying pan heat the 300ml of olive oil. Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes or until they begin to develop a golden crust. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for a further 5 minutes. Carefully lift the potatoes out onto paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and blanch the beans for 2 minutes. Drain and toss in a bowl with the remaining tablespoon of oil and some salt and pepper.
Serves 4.