When cooking a steak, simplicity is key.
– Chef Vic, 2019.
Prior to 2017, I didn’t know how to cook a steak.
At least not one I was ever satisfied with.
It either turned out being over-seasoned, or overcooked.
But then, that year for my birthday, a dear friend of mine took me to a cooking class where we were taught the perfect way to make steaks.
And sweet heavens above, since then my steaks have turned out PERFECT each time.
Ingredients used:
- Rump/Sirloin Steak
- Sweet Potatoes, sliced into thin chips
- Broccoli, top cut into small florets
- Seasonings
- 2 tsp Rapeseed Oil
- 2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Crushed Black Pepper
- 2 Garlic Cloves (see below for how to make garlic paste)
- 3 knobs of Butter, room temperature
- 1 tbsp Mixed Herbs
Prep time – 5 mins
Method (garlic paste):
- Peel the skin from the garlic and place on the chopping board.
- Sprinkle some sea salt on the garlic cloves and using the flat part of the blade, crush the cloves and drag across the chopping board.
- Scrape the paste using the knife and place in a bowl with the butter and mix well.
Prep time – 5 mins
Method (sweet potato fries):
- In a bowl, drizzle 1 tsp of rapeseed oil on the sweet potatoes and add in the mixed herbs.
- Toss to ensure all of the potato is covered.
- Spread out on an oven tray.
Cooking time – 35 mins
Cooking (sweet potato fries & broccoli):
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (gas mark 4)
- Place the tray of potatoes and leave to bake for 30 minutes, turning regularly.
- Additionally, blanch the broccoli florets in boiling water for 4 minutes and drain well.
Cooking time – 2 to 6 mins
Cooking (steak):
- Season the steak with salt and pepper.
- Put a griddle pan on high heat on the hob.
- Depending on how well done you like your steak, as a general rule of thumb add 2 minutes to the cooking time for each side (e.g. 2 mins per side for rare steak, 4 mins per side for medium, 6 mins per side for well-done).
- A trick I learned from the class is to flip the steak every 30 seconds, to ensure even cooking throughout the steak.
- Once the steak is cooked, serve with the sweet potato fries, broccoli and a dollop of garlic butter.
- Enjoy!
Extra tip: pair with a glass (or bottle) of good red wine and honestly live your best life.