YOU ASKED FOR IT Café Grace Roti d’Aloyau (Garlic Marinated Top Sirloin with Roti Potatoes and Red Wine Sauce)
Lois M., Wauwatosa, requested a recipe for a garlic marinated steak with a red wine sauce from Café Grace, 11200 W. Burleigh St., Wauwatosa.
She wrote: “My husband and I had the best dinner at Café Grace. He had the duck and said it was one of the best dishes he has ever had. My meal was a sirloin steak that had a delicious red wine sauce poured over it, and it was served with tiny round potatoes.
“The service was also great. Our waiter was so helpful when we couldn’t decide what to order. He even taught us some phrases in French! I hope the Journal Sentinel can get me the recipe for the sirloin steak and potatoes.”
Executive chef Zach Espinosa and chef de cuisine Klayton Mutchler sent the recipe and wrote: “The tri tip is one of a few cuts from the sirloin muscle. It’s a lean and tender cut that is great roasted.” Tester’s note: The tri tip steak used in this recipe is from the sirloin section and should have a fairly thick layer of fat on the bottom. If you do not have the correct cut of meat, it will not turn out tender. Makes 4 servings Meat/marinade:
2 sprigs rosemary, stems removed, leaves finely chopped
3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed, chopped
3 cloves garlic , peeled and smashed
½ cup olive oil
1 tri tip sirloin steak (1 ½ to 2 pounds) (see note)
12 whole black peppercorns Red wine sauce: ½ pound beef rib bones ½ onion, chopped ½ carrots, chopped 2 ½ ribs celery, chopped ½ bottle red wine
½ bulb garlic, peeled, left whole
2 quarts homemade chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste Roti potatoes:
1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes (less than 1 ½ inches in diameter), do not peel
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
Salt and pepper to taste
For meat/marinade: Place herbs, garlic and oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Rub generously over the meat and then grind the pepper on. Refrigerate 24 hours for best results.
Meanwhile, make red wine sauce: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cut beef bones into individual ribs, set in a medium roasting pan and roast in preheated oven until golden brown, 30 to 45 minutes. Set bones aside.
To same pan add vegetables and roast until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside and keep warm.
While bones and vegetables roast: Put wine in a large saucepan and reduce to one-third of the original quantity. When reduced, add reserved bones, vegetables and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook 2 to 3 hours or until reduced by half or more. Season with salt and pepper to taste at the end.
Keep sauce warm or reheat when ready to use. (Makes about 4 cups.)
When ready to serve, make potatoes: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Toss potatoes with the olive oil, herbes de Provence, salt and pepper. Place in a shallow pan and roast in preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes depending on size. Turn once while cooking.
Cook meat: After adding potatoes to oven, place meat in a roasting pan and roast in oven alongside potatoes until golden brown on the outside with an internal temperature of 130 degrees. This will take 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest to 130 to 140 degrees, which will result in medium-rare. Or, cook to desired doneness.
To serve: Cut steak into four serving pieces. Top each piece with some of the red wine sauce and serve small cups of additional sauce on the side. Serve with potatoes.
Note: The tri tip steak used in this recipe is from the sirloin section and should have a fairly thick layer of fat on the bottom.