Flank steak with mustard sauce, herbs and capers

SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 5 MINS // COOK 10 MINS (PLUS RESTING) Flank has great depth of flavour, but can become tough if it’s not handled carefully. Pounding the steaks offers the dual benefit of breaking down the muscle fibres to keep it tender, and flattening it to reduce cooking time. Err on the rarer side, slice it against the grain, then serve it on a platter with a simply dressed leaf salad. 600 gm flank steak, halved, at room temperature 1½ tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp capers in vinegar, drained

8 sage leaves

2 tbsp rosemary leaves 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

60 ml (¼ cup) dry white wine 60 ml (¼ cup) chicken stock 1 tbsp butter, diced

Lemon juice, to taste

1 Season steak and pound to 1cm thick (use some force to break down the fibres). Heat oil in a large cast-iron pan over high heat, add half the steak and cook, moving it around the pan to help it brown evenly and turning once, until browned and rare (2-3 minutes each side). Remove from pan, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining steak.

2 Add capers and herbs to pan and stir until they start to crisp (1-2 minutes). Sprinkle them over steak, reduce heat to medium, add mustard, wine and stock, then whisk in butter and season with lemon juice.

3 Slice steak against the grain and serve with mustard sauce. Wine suggestion Perfumed, crunchy young cabernet franc. ●