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:
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.
Even though I've only just got out of bed I'm still craving steak after reading your post – there's such a thing as a 'breakfast steak' right?! I love the idea of 'slow travel' too – chilling out is what holidays should be all about!
Breakfast steak – oooh if its not a thing, it should be! Yes, slow travel sounds right up my street too!
Looks gorgeous, I love how succulent the steak looks, nom 🙂 x