MINUTE STEAK WITH TARRAGON BUTTER & MINI ROASTIES

Flavoured butters are a great way to add interest to meat and fish. Here, I’ve made a tarragon butter but you can change this for any other herb or even caramelised shallots, lemon zest or garlic. Make up big batches, roll into a sausage shape, wrap in clingfilm and pop in the freezer: when it’s needed, slice off a couple of rounds and leave to melt on your cooked meat.

Serves 2

200g (7oz) new potatoes, cut in half

3tbsp olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Strips of lemon peel

2 x 150g (5½oz) minute steaks (thickness of a £1 coin)

For the tarragon butter

50g (1¾oz) salted butter, softened

1tbsp chopped tarragon

For the watercress salad

1tsp Dijon mustard

A squeeze of lemon juice

A squeeze of clear honey

2tbsp olive oil

2 handfuls of watercress

1 shallot, cut into thin

rings

For the tarragon butter 50g (1¾oz) salted butter, softened

1tbsp chopped tarragon For the watercress salad 1tsp Dijon mustard A squeeze of lemon juice A squeeze of clear honey 2tbsp olive oil 2 handfuls of watercress 1 shallot, cut into thin

rings

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas 6. Boil the halved new potatoes for 5 minutes and then drain. Place them in an ovenproof dish, drizzle with some of the olive oil and season with salt. Add strips of lemon peel to the dish. toss everything together and then roast for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes have turned crisp.

Mix together the butter, tarragon and 1tsp of freshly ground black pepper, then chill.

Drizzle the minute steaks with some olive oil, season then fry in a really hot griddle pan for 1 minute on each side for rare/medium-rare. Remove from the pan and leave to rest.

Mix together the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, honey and olive oil, then stir the watercress and shallot in. Serve the steaks, sliced on the diagonal, with the roasted new potatoes and watercress salad. Put a dollop of tarragon butter on top of each, allowing it to slowly melt.