Gill Meller’s Steak and Chips with Rodda’s Cornish Clotted Cream Peppercorn Sauce

Method

Prepare the garlic & rosemary chunky chips

• Pre-heat the oven to 210°C /190°F
• Peel the potatoes, then cut them up into large, thick chip-shaped pieces. Don’t worry, they can be rough and ready.
• Rinse the potatoes to remove excess starch and place in a large saucepan, filled with plenty of salted water. Bring the potatoes to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer for 5 – 6 minutes, or until they are just tender.
• Drain the potatoes into a colander then allow them to steam off, for at least 5 to 10 minutes. It’s well worth tumbling the potatoes around in the colander gently, once or twice, to rough up their edges – it makes them even crispier!
• Meanwhile, spoon the dripping into a large roasting tin and place it in the oven to heat up. When it’s lovely and hot, add your potatoes, turning them through the beef fat, and add a generous sprinkling of sea salt and black pepper.
• Place them in the middle of the hot oven and roast for 25 – 30 minutes turning once or twice. At this point, lift the tray out of the oven and add the garlic, and rosemary and give them another turn.
• Cook for a further 20-25 minutes or until the chips are crisp and golden. Lift the chips out of the tray onto a large warm plate lined with kitchen paper, sprinkle with some extra flaky sea salt. Keep warm in a low oven.

Cook the steak

• While the chips are roasting, you can start cooking the steak.
• Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over high heat until good and hot. Turn the steak through the olive oil then season it with plenty of salt and a little cracked black pepper and lay it in the pan.
• Cook the steak, pressing it down every so often with the back of a spatula, for 2 ½ – 3 minutes. Carefully turn the steak and cook for a further 2 minutes to achieve a medium/rare steak.
• Now add the butter, thyme and bashed garlic. As soon as the butter is bubbling away, baste the steak with the foaming butter. This will help carry the flavour of the garlic and thyme over the meat as it cooks.
• After a minute or so more, lift the steak out of the pan to a warm dish, cover loosely with parchment paper and let it rest somewhere warm, while you make the sauce.

Prepare the peppercorn sauce

• Reduce the heat under the steak pan a little. Add the diced shallot and sauté it in the bubbling butter, stirring regularly until it is beginning to soften, about four minutes. Now add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
• Sprinkle in the green peppercorns. Coarsely crack, or bash, the black peppercorns and add these too. Sauté the pepper for a moment to release its flavours, then add the brandy and let it bubble away furiously.
• Pour in the stock, as well as any resting juices from the steak, and bring the pan up to a lively simmer. Allow the stock to reduce by at least half. Stir in the Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream and bring the pan back to a simmer. As soon as the peppercorn sauce thickens, add a good pinch of salt and take the pan off the heat.

Serve

• Divide the garlic & rosemary roasted chunky chips between two warmed plates or pile them into a warm serving bowl.
• Carve the steak into nice thick slices and arrange these next to the chips. Spoon over the peppercorn sauce and serve at once.
• I love to serve my creamed spinach gratin on the side, it’s a perfect accompaniment and can be made in advance.

To make the creamed spinach gratin with Rodda’s clotted cream

Prepare the base

• Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
• Pour the milk into a medium pan and place it over medium to high heat. Add the onion, bashed garlic and bay leaves and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
• Remove the pan from the heat and allow the flavours to infuse the milk for 15–20 minutes.

Cook the spinach

• Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Drop in the spinach and cook for 1–2 minutes, until the leaves are tender. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, squeeze all the excess liquid from the spinach. Roughly chop it and set aside.

Prepare the white sauce

• Set a medium pan over medium heat,
add the butter and, when bubbling, add the flour. Stir and cook for 1 minute, then pour in the infused milk, straining it through a sieve as you do so. Discard the onion and herbs. Use a whisk to work the white sauce as you cook it for 1–2 minutes, until it thickens.
• Season well with salt and pepper and a good grating of nutmeg, then turn off the heat and work in the Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream. Now fold in the chopped, cooked spinach.

Cook the gratin

• Spoon the creamy spinach into a small ovenproof dish.
• Combine the breadcrumbs with the cheese and scatter this over the surface of the spinach mixture. Dot with a little butter and place in the oven for 8–12 minutes, or until crisp and golden on top and bubbling hot underneath.
• Serve at once.