Steak with Garlic & Herb Butter

It’s been Steak Saturday in my house today. I usually serve my steak with chimmi churri and a big salad or perhaps a peppercorn sauce but today I opted to go French. There was a reason for this – I’ve teamed up with Inntravel for their #FlavourFromFrance campaign. They are a Yorkshire based travel company who specialise in slow holidays. How great does a ‘slow holiday’ sound? Off the beaten track adventures organised for you but with none of the stresses of tour groups & schedules so you can explore at your own pace.

I’ve been to various bits of France over my lifetime and always loved the food but I have to admit, it’s not a country I know well. I’ve spent a few days in Nice and along the Monte Carlo coast, been to Paris a couple of times and have visited Normandy on a school trip (but then who hasn’t?) but that’s all!  Anyway, enough of that, back to the food. Alongside the steak I did green beans with dijon mustard and shallot dressing, oven baked french fries and a garlic & herb butter. there’ll be no vampires here tonight! I love the simplicity of this meal, so classic French bistro with just 3 elements on the plate, all of them rich and garlicky. Everything below is measured for 2 people.

Garlic & herb butter for steak

Ingredients:

• Half a pack of salted butter, cut into squares
• Small handful flat leaf parsley
• Small handful chives
• Sprinkle of dried thyme
• 2 small shallots, cut into chunks
• 1/2 garlic clove
• A drizzle olive oil – if needed.

• Chuck everything into a food processor and pulse until properly mixed (you may need a drizzle of olive oil).
• Empty out onto a sheet of cling film and roll as tightly as you can into a sausage.
• Twist the ends up (like a ballotine) and leave in the fridge to firm up for at least an hour.

 

The steak:

I cook my steak on a griddle pan. Its cast iron, heavy, old and I love it. Start by seasoning and lightly oiling the steak NOT the pan. Allow the pan to get really hot before you add the steak to it. Don’t be scared of the sizzle!

For this dish, I went for rib eye but obviously choose a cut you prefer. I eat my steak medium- rare and for this piece (it was around 8oz steak) that took around 3-4 mins per side. Always let your meat rest too before eating as this will really help it get nice and tender.

Oven baked french fries
I chose to oven bake these to keep the calories down. They were super easy to make too and much healthier than shop bought.

Ingredients:

• 1 large potato (I used a baking potato)
• Drizzle olive oil
• Salt & Pepper

Method:

• Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 / 200c
• Slice your potato into thin matchsticks (eg French fries!), put them into a bowl and mix with the olive oil and seasoning.
• Lay them out on an oven tray making sure they aren’t overlapping.
• Cook for 35 mins, turning occasionally CAREFULLY to avoid them breaking up. You want them crispy!

Green beans with Dijon mustard & shallot dressing 

Ingredients:

• 200g green beans (tops trimmed off)
• 1 small shallot – very finely sliced
• 1/2 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbs dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Cracked black pepper

Method:

• Put a pan of water on to boil
• Mix your oil, mustard and vinegar to form an emulsion and then add the shallot, garlic and black pepper.
• Once the water is rapidly boiling, drop in the green beans and cook for 4-5 mins making sure they still have a little bite.
• Drain the beans and mix thoroughly with the dressing.