Steak, gravy marbled mash, onion rings

A french steak with potato and cafe de paris butter is quintessential to the steak experience. I prefer this spin on a cafe de paris butter to coat and completely lather my slice of steak in.

This is a spin on the classic cafe de paris butter, with the addition of smoked paprika and liquid smoke, plus mushroom seasoning for an added depth of umami.

For a little something extra on the side, this would be delicious with my whipped butter beans with fried sage salsa verde as well as some fresh leafy greens tossed in a chardonnay viniagrette.

Serves two, with extra butter.

Ingredients:

Steaks of choice, I use eye fillet because I like it tender

salt and pepper

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp butter, salted

1 garlic clove, smashed

few sprigs of sage

Gravy:

1/2 cup chicken stock

30 ml cognac, or whiskey

1/2 tbsp butter, salted

pinch of salt

cracked black pepper

Gravy marbled mash:

430g ‘russet/dutch cream/yukon gold/ brushed’ potato, skins peeled, diced

60g full cream milk

60g double cream

50g butter, salted

pinch of salt

Smokey Cafe de Paris butter:

100g butter, salted

1 small shallot, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 brown anchovies, minced

squeeze of fresh lemon juice, approx. 1 tsp

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp mushroom seasoning blend, mine is from Trader Joes here — optional to substitute with 1/4 tsp onion powder plus 1/4 tsp ground mustard seed

1/2 tsp fine cooking salt, or salt to taste

2 tbsp chives, finely sliced

2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

optional: 1 tsp liquid smoke

Onion Rings:

1/2 of a whole onion, white

1 tsp cornstarch

4 tbsp neutral oil, to fry, such as Vegetable oil

pinch of salt

Method:

Season the steak: as ahead of time as possible, at the minimum 1 hour before cooking, season the steak heavily with coarse flakey salt on both sides and set in the fridge.

Make the cafe de paris butter: add all ingredients, except for the butter, to a large mixing bowl. Add the butter to a small pan and bring to a medium-low heat. Melt gently, stirring, until the butter is completely melted. Pour over a fine mesh sieve/strainer into a heat proof bowl. Discard the milk solids that are caught by the strainer and pour the smooth butter into the bowl containing the remaining ingredients. Mix to combine thoroughly. Taste and adjust for salt. It should smell AMAZING. Add to a bowl and set in the fridge.

Make the mash: bring a pot of water to a rapid bowl. Add 1 tbsp fine cooking salt, then add the diced potatoes. Boil for 15 minutes. While it’s boiling, bring a fry pan to medium-low heat and add butter, cream, milk and salt. Gently bring to a simmer. Once melted, turn down the heat to prevent it burning or reducing. Drain the potatoes. Put through a potato ricer and immediately add to the pot with cream and butter. Fold the potatoes through the cream mixture until a smooth texture is formed. Taste for salt.

Fry the onions: in a small fry pan, add oil and bring to a very high heat. Toss cornstarch with onion rings in a small bowl until well coated. Throw into the hot oil and watch them sizzle. Flip to the other side when golden on the first side. They should fry on each side for 1-2 minutes. Once golden on both sides, remove from the oil and place on a paper towel lined plate. Turn off the heat and let the oil cool before either saving to use again or discarding.

Cook the steak: 20 minutes before cooking, remove the steak from the fridge. Bring a fry pan to very high heat and add olive oil. Once smoking, add steak and fry for 2 minutes on the first side. Flip, and fry for 2 minutes on the other side (maybe longer depending on the size of your steak). Add butter, sage and garlic. Baste — spooning the butter over the steak, while holding the pan on a tilt, for about 1 minute longer. Remove from the pan, turn off the heat and let the steak rest for 10 minutes. This should get you to medium rare, cook longer on the other side if you like it more done. Slice into thin strips.

Make the gravy: in the pan that was used to cook the steak, bring to a medium-high heat and add chicken stock and cognac. Bring to a simmer and add butter. Allow this to reduce for approximately 5 minutes, or until it’s thick and gelatinous. Once it’s turned into gravy, turn off the heat. Add the potato mash and gently fold the potato mash through the gravy, folding the sides into the center a few times. Careful to not overmix otherwise it won’t be marbled!

Plate: add a spoonful or two of potato mash to a plate, off centered. Garnish potato mash with onion rings. Add sliced steak on the side and a spoonful or coin slice of the cafe de paris butter.