To cook your steak: 

1.  Get the steak out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature before cooking it
2.  Place a heavy based pan over a med/high heat. 
3.  Oil the steak and season well with salt and pepper. 
4.  For a medium steack, place the steak in the pan and cook for 2 1/2 minutes, turn and cook for a further 2 ½ minutes. 
5. Take the steak out of the pan to rest for a few minutes

SERVE WITH…  

OVEN CHIPS / POTATO WEDGES

500g fluffy potatoes (maris piper / king edward)
4 tbsp olive oil
generous pinch of sea salt  

– Preheat the oven to 200*c.  Oil a roasting tray with 2 tbsp oil so that the chips don’t stick
– Cut the potatoes into chips or wedges and place in a bowl with 2 tbsp oil and the sea salt.  Toss together until well coated.
– Spread the chips out on the roasting tray in an even layer.  Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until crisp and golden on the outside and fluffy on the inside, turning them every 10 minutes so that they don’t stick and burn. 

A PEPPERY GREEN SALAD

Serve with a peppery green salad such as rocket with a nice homemade salad dressing: 

Salad dressings are all about balance:  you need to balance the fat in the oil with the acidity, sweetness and salt.  Use the basic ratio below and then add any extras that suit your dish.  Taste the dressing by dipping a salad leaf into it rather than tasting it on a spoon as it will taste very different on the salad.  Remember to dress your salad just before you serve it, otherwise it will go limp 

3 tbsp oil (vegetable, olive oil, avocado oil)
1 tbsp (apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, rice vinegar)
salt and pepper
pinch of sugar
optional: ½ tsp mustard  

Extras:  mustard, honey, maple syrup, fresh herbs, soy sauce, chilli, ginger, miso, tahini, wasabi, curry powder, yoghurt, parmesan, turmeric, crushed garlic.  *For a creamy vegan salad dressing add 1 tbsp sunflower seeds and blitz the dressing with a hand blender 

Place the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and pinch of sugar in a bowl with a ½ tsp mustard if you are using it.  Whisk together then add any extra additions such as fresh herbs

STEAK SAUCES 

Herb Butter 

Herb butters are really nice to put on steaks, fish and steamed veg.  You can add anything that you like to them from chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, dill, tarragon, wild garlic to simple garlic butter, or something more spicy with ground fennel seeds and chilli flakes

For a simple herb butter

120g butter, at room temperature
3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley and chives)
Optional: 1 clove garlic, crushed
Optional: zest of ½ lemon
Optional: pinch of salt (depending on how salty your butter is)

• Make sure the butter is at room temperature so that it is soft
• Place the butter in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir until well combined
• Spoon the butter onto some cling film and roll up for form a log. Store in the fridge until firm
• Slice and place on the top of steak / fish / steamed veg 

Chimichurri Sauce

This fresh and spicy sauce, originally from Argentina, goes well with grilled meats as well as vegetable dishes and eggs.

Small bunch of parsley (you can add coriander or mint if you with)
2 tbsp fresh oregano (optional)
1 shallot, chopped
½-1 fresh chilli (to taste)
3 tbsp olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tsp red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar 

• Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped  

Quick Cheat’s Bernaise Sauce

Bernaise sauce is classically made with a sabayon method (whisking melted butter into egg yolk over a pan of hot water) but it easily goes wrong and splits.  This method uses a hand blender and cornflour to stabilises the sauce.  It won’t be quite the same as the classic method but it works well for homemade steak and chips 

For the reduction
3  tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tbsp. water
6 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 small shallot, chopped
1 sprig tarragon 

For the sauce
2 egg yolks
Salt and ground white pepper
110g unsalted butter
2 tsp chopped tarragon 

• Make the reduction: put the vinegar, water, peppercorns, bay leaf, shallot and tarragon into a pan and reduce over a medium heat until you have about 1 tbsp of liquid. Strain immediately into a cold bowl
• Place the egg yolk in a jug with 1 tsp of the reduction, a pinch of salt and ½ tsp cornflour (to thicken and stabilize the sauce) and blend with a hand blender until creamy
• Melt the butter in a pan or in the microwave until boiling
• With the blender running, gradually pour the melted butter into the jug until fully incorporated
• Stir in the tarragon and season with salt and pepper