Save some money on eating out and try your hand at this straight-forward main course, from MasterChef Ireland 2011 finalist Bridín Carey
Ingredients
- steak:
- 250 g ribeye steak
- maldon salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
- butter
- sprig rosemary
- garlic clove
- twice cooked chips:
- 2 golden wonder or maris piper potatoes (ready peeled)
- maldon salt flakes
- béarnaise sauce:
- 4 tblsp tarragon vinegar
- 4 tblsp dry white wine
- 2 tsp finely chopped shallots
- pinch ground pepper
- 1 tblsp french tarragon leaves
- 2 egg yolks (organic)
- 150 g butter cubed
- asparagus:
- 5 asparagus tips
- olive oil
- maldon salt
Method
- Béarnaise Sauce: Boil vinegar, white wine, shallots and pepper in saucepan until reduced completely. Add 3 tblsp of cold water.
- Remove pan from heat. Allow to cool for 2 mins.
- Return pan to very low heat. Whisk in egg yolks. Add in 1 cube of butter at a time whisking continuously. Add freshly chopped tarragon. Season.
- Pour sauce into bowl. Wash saucepan and then fill with boiling water. Place bowl with sauce over saucepan and cover. Set aside
- Chips: Cut potatoes into 1 cm thick and 6 cm long strips. Rinse in cold water. Dry in tea towel.
- Cook in deep fat fryer in batches at 160°C until soft and beginning to brown – approx 7 mins. Remove from deep fat fryer and place on baking tray. Set aside.
- Turn up deep fat fryer to 190°C.
- Steaks: Put steak on plate or board and rub with 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil and plenty of black pepper and flaky sea salt. Leave to marinate at room temperature for about 5 mins.
- Heat a heavy-based frying pan until hot. Add the steak to the pan, with oil from the plate, the garlic clove and thyme.
- Sear the steak for 3 mins on the first side until well browned, basting with the oil and herbs as it cooks.
- Carefully tip off the oil, add knob of butter, then sear the second side of the steak in the same way for 3 mins.
- Take the steak from the pan and sit it on a rack over a roasting tin. Tip the oil, herbs and garlic from the pan over the steak, then leave to rest uncovered for 15 mins.
- Asparagus: Fill saucepan with salted boiling water. Drop asparagus into water and cook through for 1-2 mins depending on size of asparagus.
- Strain and dry with kitchen towel. Season in colander with olive oil and salt. Place in baking tray. Cover with parchment paper. Place in over to keep warm.
- Chips: Cook to crisp in batches at 190°C in deep fat fryer for 2 mins. Remove and place in buckets. Plate up 5 mins – béarnaise in gravy boat, chips in bucket, steak on plate with watercress and asparagus.
- Use watercress to decorate plate
