Spoil-yourself fillet steak with fries and Béarnaise sauce

THIS IS my treat when I’m home alone and Béarnaise sauce is the best with chips or beef. Look out for Yorkshire wagyu beef. I came across it when we set up my Manchester restaurant and it’s ace. It is grown just like the amazing Japanese beef, but a good fillet steak is also fine to use here. Obviously, scale up the recipe to serve more people. SERVES 1 ● Flavourless vegetable oil, to deep-fry ● 125g unsalted butter ● 3 tbsp tarragon vinegar ● 3 tbsp white wine ● ¼ tsp white peppercorns ● ½ small banana shallot, finely chopped ● 3 egg yolks ● Sea salt and ground black pepper ● 1 tbsp chopped tarragon leaves ● Juice of ½ lemon (optional) ● 1 tbsp olive oil ● 1 x 200g good fillet steak (I love Yorkshire wagyu for a special occasion, available online)

● 100g chips, frozen or homemade (see recipe, right) PREHEAT the oven to 200c/400f/gas 6. Heat a deep-fat fryer to 190c/375f, or heat the oil for deep-frying in a deep, heavy based frying pan until a a bread crumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (CAUTION: Do not leave unattended.)

Put 100g of the butter into a small saucepan and set over a medium heat to melt fairly gently. Wait until it is liquid and all the impurities have risen to the top in a foam. Skim off all the foam. Leave until just tepid.

Place the vinegar, white wine, peppercorns and shallot in a separate small saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer until the liquid nearly disappears, leaving only about 1 tbsp

Now, place the egg yolks in a bowl, then set over a pan of simmering water and whisk until thickened.

Gradually add the melted butter, drop by drop, whisking constantly. Once the mixture has emulsified, add the butter in a thin stream. You want

a sauce the same thickness as mayonnaise. Stop adding the butter before you get to the milky solids at the bottom of the pan (discard these).

Season the sauce with salt and pepper, add the cooled vinegar reduction and the chopped tarragon leaves and mix well.

taste and see if you want to add lemon juice. turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the pan until ready to use. Don’t leave it too long, and work quickly. heat an ovenproof frying pan until searing hot, add the oil and steak then leave to cook on one side for two or three minutes before turning over and placing in the oven for two or three minutes more.

While the steak is in the oven, carefully lower the chips into the deep-fat fryer and cook for three or four minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

remove the steak from the oven (make sure you wear an oven glove to protect your hands from the frying pan handle) and add the remaining butter to the pan, then spoon over the steak repeatedly for at least two or three minutes while the steak rests; this will give a lovely shine and add to the flavour.

Put the steak on a plate, pile on the chips and add a dollop of Béarnaise.

TO MAKE YOUR OWN CHIPS

● Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

● 4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into matchsticks

● Sea salt, for sprinkling heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 190c/375f or in a deep, heavy based saucepan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it (do not leave unattended). Deep-fry the chips in the hot oil until golden brown, then remove and drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle with sea salt.