Seared Pepper Beef, stilton, watercress, herb and horsradish salad
(Serves 10-12 as a main course)
Henry Harris, Chef Patron, Racine, Brompton Rd. London
Ingredients
| 6 |
shallots, peeled |
|
rice flour |
|
Topside of beef 2.5 –3K off the bone, all fat and sinew then removed |
| 4 tbs |
cracked pepper |
|
olive oil |
| 4 bunches |
watercress, picked |
| 1 bunch |
basil, picked |
| 1 bunch |
flat parsley, picked |
| 1 bunch |
chives cut to 1cm length |
| 1 stick |
horseradish, peeled |
| 1 |
lemon, juiced |
| 400g |
Colston Bassett Stilton, crumbled |
| 3 tbs |
Dijon mustard |
| 3 tbs |
red wine vinegar |
| 250 ml |
whipping cream |
Method
Preheat the grill.
Finely slice the shallots into rings and dust them in the flour. Deep fry them until golden and then remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper. Spread the shallots in a single layer onto a grill pan and place at the bottom of the grill and cook for about 5 minutes or until dark and golden. Remove and place on absorbent paper.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Roll the sirloin in the pepper to coat it lightly. Press the pepper into the meat with the heel of your hand to ensure that it adheres to the beef. Season with salt.
Heat some of the oil in a large pan and fry the meat for about 5 minutes on each surface to ensure a good golden crust.
Transfer to the oven and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and transfer to a platter and leave to cool for 1 hour.
Note; if the sirloin is quite thin then do not put in the oven. This will deliver a good rare beef.
Meanwhile place the salad and herbs in a large bowl. Grate some horseradish finely, enough to give the salad a nice kick, and toss it through the salad Season with salt, lemon juice and a splash of olive oil.
Mix the mustard, vinegar and cream together and season carefully with salt.
Slice the beef as thinly as possible and arrange on plates or platters and then arrange a salad garnish in the middle. Crumble the Stilton over the dish and finally drizzle over the mustard dressing and shallot rings.
If you are a lover of the horseradish roots fiery properties then in place of grating it use a vegetable peeler to make shavings to scatter through the salad instead.