Dinner Number 1. The Ultimate Steak Sandwich

Penguin's Comments


The mushrooms were very effective, really easy and quick to make and tasted delicious. Easily the best mushrooms I've ever eaten!


Potatoes were very easy, although it maybe needed fresh rosemary as the dry ones were very sharp.


Sandwich tasted good but was very difficult to eat and a bit intimidating.


Wildebeest's Comments


One word. Awesome! Everything tasted delicious. I disagree with Laura on the sandwich, definitely a meal I would make for the boys!


Scores On The Doors


                                                       Penguin     Wildebeest
Appearance                                      5/5                   5/5
Taste                                                 4/5                  5/5
Ease                                                  4/5                  5/5
Affordability                                    4/5                  4/5
Total                                                17/20              19/20
Average Score      36/40= 90%


Suggestions 


1. Replace bread with just the potatoes and serve the beef on a salad of rocked and peppers. (Ladies only...Wildebeest disagrees.)
2. Mushrooms could definitely be used as a starter...yummy
3. Peppers can be easily replaced with sun dried tomatoes


Recipe

STEAK SARNIE 

• 2 x 300g (10½oz) best-quality rump steaks
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme 
• 1 ciabatta loaf 
• A small handful of jarred peppers 
• A couple of sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Horseradish sauce, to serve 
• A large handful of prewashed rocket, to serve

MUSHROOMS

• 4 large flat Portobello mushrooms (approx 250g/ 9oz in total)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ½ fresh red chilli
• 2 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• ½ lemon
• 70g (2½oz) mature Cheddar cheese

POTATOES

• 500g (1lb 2oz) baby new potatoes
• 6 cloves of garlic
• A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• ½ lemon

POTATOES: Cut any large new potatoes in half, then add all of them to the large empty frying pan with a good pinch of salt. Quickly squash 6 unpeeled cloves of garlic with the heel of your hand, then add to the frying pan. Pour in enough boiling water to cover, then cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Check they are cooked through, and drain in a colander. Return the pan to a high heat, add a good lug of olive oil and tip the potatoes and garlic back in. Use a potato masher to lightly burst the skins open (don't mash them though). 

Add a few sprigs of rosemary and a pinch of salt. Toss every couple of minutes until golden and crisp. 

Tip the potatoes on to a serving platter, and put ½ a lemon on the side for squeezing over. Take to the table.

MUSHROOMS: Lay the mushrooms, stalk side up, on a chopping board. Trim the stalks and place the mushrooms stalk side up in a small earthenware dish that they fit into fairly snugly. 

Crush ½ an unpeeled clove of garlic over each mushroom. Finely chop ½ a red chilli and a couple of parsley sprigs, and divide between the mushrooms. Grate over the zest of ½ a lemon, drizzle well with olive oil and season. Cut the Cheddar into four chunks and pop one on each mushroom.

Grill on the top shelf for 9 to 10 minutes, or until golden. 


Remove the mushrooms from the oven and turn the grill off. Take the mushrooms straight to the table. 

STEAK SARNIE: Put the steaks on a board. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, pick and scatter over the thyme leaves, and drizzle with olive oil. Rub the flavours into the meat, then flip over and repeat on the other side. 

Pound the steaks once or twice with your fists to flatten them a little, then put them into the screaming-hot griddle pan to cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side for medium rare, or longer if you prefer. This depends on the thickness of your steaks, of course, so use your instincts and cook them to your liking. Wash your hands.

Put the ciabatta loaf into the bottom of the oven. Finely chop
the peppers on a large clean board. Move the steaks to the board and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. 

Finely chop a few parsley leaves, mixing them in with the peppers and all the steak juices. Scrape the pepper mix to one side of the board. Slice up the steaks at an angle. 

Get the ciabatta out of the oven and slice it open. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Spread over the horseradish, then arrange the rocket leaves on one half. Lay the steak slices on top. 

Mix and scrape the peppers and juices from the board and scatter over the meat, then fold together and take to the table.

RECIPE TAKEN FROM "Jamie Oliver's 30-minute meals:  Steak sarnie, crispy new potatoes, cheesy mushrooms and beetroot salad"

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1312705/Jamie-Olivers-30-minute-meals--Steak-sarnie-crispy-new-potatoes-cheesy-mushrooms-beetroot-salad.html#ixzz1Thhuehmh

A word from the kitchen

To all our foody friends out there, this is a blog myself and Laura have created to show our epic successes and failures at cooking our favourite foods, as well as trying to expand our cooking repertoire.  


Along the way, we will be posting some pictures, recipes, comments and of course, the scores on the doors.


All comments and feedback welcome, and if you're nice we'll invite you to dinner.


Join us with a drink while you read our escapades.


Yours in cooking and in dishes




Stephen (Wildebeest) and Laura (Penguin)