MY STEAK TARTARE WITH CHIPS

Serves 4

This is a killer dish and a classic. As with all classics, there’s a very good reason for their popularity, but often they’re executed poorly. Make friends with your butcher to get the freshest lean beef fillet with flavour. Never buy vacuum-sealed meat for this dish. Beef that has been sitting around for a month or more in a plastic bag of blood would destroy the wonderful freshness. I call this “my steak tartare”. Traditionally the beef is minced and presented with all the garnishes around it and an egg yolk on top. A waiter would then dress and mix the tartare for you and serve it, mostly, with toast. I prefer to hand chop the meat and I like chips with mine as it’s served in many a Parisian bistro. I make my own dressing and I love it spicy. A spicy lush moist tartare smeared on a hot crisp chip served with lettuce leaves is my idea of heaven. I hate dry tartares, which is the way it’s often served.

MAYONNAISE

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

5 drops Tabasco sauce

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) extra virgin olive oil

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) vegetable oil

juice of ¼ lemon

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Place the egg yolks, mustard and Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces in a bowl and whisk together. Combine the two oils and, while whisking continuously, slowly add in a thin stream to the egg yolk mixture until all the oil is added and a thick mayonnaise forms. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Makes about 355 g (12½ oz/1½ cups).

TO SERVE

400 g (14 oz) fillet steak

2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed

4 anchovy fillets, chopped

2 French shallots (eschalots), thinly sliced

4 gherkins (cornichons), chopped

85 g (3 oz/¼ cup) mayonnaise

2 handfuls mixed salad leaves

extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1 large handful flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves, chiffonade

hand-cut fat chips, to serve

Finely chop the steak with a sharp knife and place in a bowl. Add the capers, anchovy, shallot and cornichon. Add enough mayonnaise to bind the mixture to achieve your desired consistency.

Arrange the salad leaves on plates. Using a large kitchen spoon, shape the tartare into 4 quenelles, placing each one neatly on top of the leaves. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with the chips.