Meat Market

Wagyu minute steaks with peppercorn sauce and mash.

A: When I look back and I reflect on our recipes, there is a big part of me that goes: why are we able to do this so well? There’s every reason why it should be a disaster. But I look at this minute steak with peppercorn sauce and I want to cook it tonight!

C: The problem is, the food we’re talking about – everyone’s ashamed to say they like it. It’s like a late-night kebab. As bad as it is, everyone has a good memory of one of these dishes.

A: That’s you and me, buddy! We’re for the people!

C: Think of the peppercorn sauce you had when you used to go to the pub with your parents, maybe on a Sunday. You’d have three choices and maybe you’d have the prawn cocktail or something, and then the peppercorn sauce with a steak. Now, later on in life you want that again. It’s nostalgic. Everything tastes better with nostalgia. A: I agree.

C: Creamy peppercorn is not normally seen nowadays but, when you eat it, you’re wondering why you haven’t eaten it for so long. Eating peppercorn sauce puts a smile on your face.

A: The reason I chose the wagyu minute steak is that for a lot of people wagyu might be out of their price range – it’s expensive. This is a nice way to try wagyu without spending a lot of money on it. Topside is probably the toughest cut of meat, chewy and fibrous, but because this is wagyu and its cut thinly, it’s super juicy, tender, full of flavour. You bougie up your minute steak on a budget. You can tell your neighbours you had a bit of wagyu last night. And they will be like, ‘Ooh, did you win Powerball?’

C: I like it! A: What’s always been consistent with us is nose to tail. So here, we’re making the most of every cut. We’re reinventing the peppercorn sauce and the cut is wagyu topside – it’s a great update of a classic. C: With all the uncertainty lately, people are eating food that makes them happy. No one knows what the future is, but this is us looking to food from the past to make us happy.

A: Col-stalgia!

C: Fass-talgia!

A: That sounds a bit like a toe fungus.

WAGYU MINUTE STEAKS WITH PEPPERCORN SAUCE AND MASH SERVES 2

2 x 150g Wagyu topside minute steaks 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 eschalot, finely chopped

55g can green peppercorns in brine,

drained (from supermarkets)

1/4 cup (60ml) white wine

2 tbs brandy

1/2 cup (125ml) pure (thin) cream

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce Rocket leaves, to serve

WHITE BEAN & GARLIC MASH

1/3 cup (80ml) pure (thin) cream 2 x 400g cans cannellini beans,

rinsed, drained

1 tbs garlic-infused olive oil,

plus extra to serve

For the white bean and garlic mash, place the cream and cannellini beans in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until beans are warmed through. Remove from heat and use a stick blender to whiz until smooth. Add the garlic-infused oil and stir until well combined. Transfer to a serving bowl, season with salt and pepper, and keep warm.

Heat a large frypan over high heat. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper, and drizzle with half the oil. Cook, turning once, for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate, reserving any pan juices, and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add remaining 1 tbs oil and eschalot to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes until eschalot is softened. Add drained peppercorns and stir to combine.

Add wine and brandy to the pan. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the cream and Worcestershire sauce plus any resting juices from the steak. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes until sauce is slightly reduced.

Divide steaks between serving plates and spoon over peppercorn sauce. Serve with rocket leaves and mash, drizzled with extra garlic oil.