Jamie Oliver's Pan-fried Steak with Chianti Butter Sauce and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes

It would appear that nothing brings traffic to a blog quite like a post about celebrities without underwear, Duff's chicken wings (if you're in the area - do check them out, based upon the number of click throughs searching for information they must be quite popular) or anything by Jamie Oliver. So in the interest of generating more clicks . . .

My sister gave Paul this cookbook for Christmas. It is Jamie Oliver's attempt to help everyone learn to be a better cook. We were very happy with Jamie's last cookbook Jamie's Italy so we were excited to receive this one. The book is fairly well-written (once you get used to Jamie's hyper and casual style) with some great recipes.

Over the weekend Paul was flipping through the book looking for something to make for 'his' dinner (he cooks one night a week to give me a break). He stopped on page 158 and said 'I think I'd like to make that.' So make it, he did. I was a bit surprised at his choice because he isn't much of a red meat eater, I however am a true carnivore so was thrilled at the opportunity for a nice rare steak.

He found the recipe to be fairly easy to follow and I can attest to the fact that it tasted great! It is a very simple, yet rewarding, way of cooking a steak. You only end up with a small amount of sauce to drizzle over the steak but it will be more than enough.

Jamie Oliver's Pan-fried Steak with Chianti Butter Sauce and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes

For the olive oil mash:

14 oz potatoes, peeled and chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter

for the steak:

2 7 oz sirloin steaks, 1 inch thick, fat scored
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

for the sauce:

3 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
1 cup chianti

a few sprigs watercress
good quality extra virgin olive oil

Put the potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Drain them in a colander and allow to sit for 5 minutes to steam away any excess moisture. Return the potatoes to the pan and mash, stirring in a large 'glug' (what's a glug Jamie you goof?), the cheese, and butter. Taste, season with the salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Heat a heavy frying pan, large enough to cook both steaks at once without them touching. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Brush with olive oil. Using a pair of tongs, hold the steaks fatty-edge down in the frying pan to render and colour the fat. When the fat is golden, fry the steaks for eight minutes in total for medium-rare, turning them every minute. Remove from pan to rest.

Turn the heat down and add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. Fry the shallots and thyme for 4 minutes. Pour the wine in and reduce it by half. Pour in the juices from the steaks (we let them rest on a large plate covered with foil to capture all of the juices). Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and remove the pan from the heat. Stir briskly to emulsify the sauce. This will make a simple red wine sauce.  Taste and season.

To plate - place a quantity of mashed potatoes on each plate. Slice the steak and arranges slices on top of the mashed potatoes. Drizzle the sauce over top. Arrange watercress on the side. Drizzle the plate with good quality extra virgin olive oil.

Comments

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The potatoes is rich in protein that cause energy in our body that is why is very recommendable to eat it frequently. Most of all during the day. How ever is better do not abuse of the potatoes because can help you gain weight. So if you want to keep a good shape is appropriate eat potatoes with measure.