Brian McDermott's Braised Steak with Caramelised Onions and Gravy.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

  • 4 Rump Steaks 100g Each
  • 2 Onions Sliced
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 50ml vinegar
  • 25g Brown Sugar
  • 25g Plain Flour
  • 40g Tomato Puree
  • Drizzle of Rapeseed Oil
  • Fresh Ground Pepper
  • 2 Sprigs fresh Thyme
  • 350ml Beef Stock

Poundies / Champ

In Donegal, we believe that when we were growing up a "feed of poundies " was as good as it gets for home dinners.

This is very true to this day as its one of the greatest dishes ever. Poundies is the same as Champ but every rural mother made poundies and not champ so for me the only name winner is Poundies and we are proud of them and our Mammies in Donegal.

Serves: 4 

  • 1 Kg potatoes
  • 100ml milk
  • 75g cream
  • 50g butter
  • pinch ground white
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 6 Scallions washed and sliced

Method

  1. Heat a frying pan and add a drizzle of oil. Fry the steaks and season with fresh thyme and pepper.
  2. Leave steaks aside and in the same pan add the sliced onions and garlic then fry until brown and add the brown sugar and vinegar. 
  3. Cook until slightly sticky consistency is achieved then add the tomato puree and flour followed by the beef stock.
  4.  Return the steaks and any juices to the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. The sauce will thicken and gather around the steaks with the onion like a comfort blanket. If you need to loosen it out a bit add a splash of hot water.

Brian’s Top Tip:
Great served on toasted sourdough or simple with a good champ potato.

Poundies / Champ

  1. Wash and peel the potatoes. Cook the potatoes in boiling water until soft.
  2. When potatoes are cooked, drain the cooking water off and return potatoes to the heat for 1 minute to evaporate further moisture.
  3. In a separate saucepan melt the butter and scallions so they sweat and cook for 2 minutes then add the milk and cream and allow liquid to warm in temperature
  4. Season the potatoes with white ground pepper and nutmeg.
  5. Start to mash the potatoes and when mashed add in the liquid and return potatoes to the heat and continue to mash constantly until you have no lumps.

Brian’s Top Tip:
Turn any leftover Poundies into potato cakes by shaping and pan frying in butter.