While The Cat's Away

Myself and the little fluffy dog have been abandoned while The Hubs heads off on his annual Jolly Boys trip.  But we're not sitting on the sofa pining away for him, oh no...  Firstly, I decided to get stuck into a bit of spring cleaning and dust off the power washer to scrub the patio and the drive.  It was exactly like the TV ad as our green and grotty granite slabs were transformed into a pale gleaming vision of beauty.  The same went for the driveway which wasn't looking too pretty after an unexpected application of gunge from a leaky radiator being loaded into the plumber's van.  Once the toil was completed, it was time to think about dinner. Myself and the dog have similar taste in food. We're not vegetarians and we are exceedingly fond of a bit of steak so I decided to create a little French-inspired feast for us to share.  As we're on countdown to our holidays, I'm really getting into the mood!  Apologies in advance for the photos - it was late, we were hungry so hunger won over food styling...

Striploin Steak with Sauteed Green Beans and Garlic Cheese Potato

Firstly we started with the potato.  A medium to large Rooster, baked in the oven at 180/Gas Mark 4 until tender which takes about an hour.  Now there is a cheat's way to speed things along.  Prick the potato 3-4 times, wrap snugly in a piece of kitchen paper and microwave on high for 7-8 minutes (900w).  Then transfer to the oven for 15-20 minutes until the potato skin is crisp.

While the potato cooked, I took my steak out of the fridge to lose the cold chill and come up to room temperature - it cooks better that way.  I patted it dry with the piece of kitchen paper from the potato and seasoned it with freshly ground pepper.  I then cooked it for 3 minutes per side in a hot frying pan, no oil before resting it in tinfoil with a pat of herb butter on top and a sprinkling of salt.

It was time for the green beans.  I steamed 150g in the microwave for 90 seconds and sliced half a small white onion into very thin half moons.  I sauteed the onions in the pan which I cooked the steak in, adding a tiny splash of oil to stop them sticking.  When the onions had softened, I added the green beans and a crushed clove of garlic and fried them until the green beans started to blister.

Now dinner is almost ready.  The potato came out of the oven, I cut it open and added a generous slice of French garlic and herb cream cheese which started to melt.  The sauteed green beans went onto the plate and I placed my medium rare steak on top.

There were some buttery juices in the tinfoil so I added a few drops of Lea & Perrins to make an instant sauce and poured it over the steak.  It's the simplest and most delicious adornment you'll need.

The dog was beside herself with the joy and told me that she'd keep the steak and I could have the rest.  What a generous little fluffy beast, eh?  So we shared it.