A beefier Gordon

Ever since I first spotted Gordon Ramsay whipping up his mushroom topped steaks on the F Word I had been salivating at the thought and I did get to eat one of these fine beasts for the first time on my ‘birthday take 1’ last year. And I’d been meaning to give it another go ever since.

When I spotted the recipe again in Gordon’s Big Brunches recipe cards it inspired me to immediately seek out a plump fillet steak. I’m not entirely sure it’s a brunch dish and I could argue against quail in a piquant dressing or truffle-dressed scallops for brunch but I guess I wouldn’t really say “no” if I were presented with either at any time of day. In fact there are some great recipes in this little box – brunch or no brunch – and many I’d be happy to tuck into morning, noon or night.

But finding myself a proud possessor of a pile of wild exotic mushrooms, a few choice new potatoes, some healthy sprigs of rosemary from D and MC’s garden and a fillet steak there was only one thing to do.

Gordon Ramsay's Mushroom-topped steaks

Ingredients for 4 servings:
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 tbsp olive oil
100g mixed mushrooms (shiitake, oyster), roughly chopped
100g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
4 tbsp double cream
1 large egg yolk
4 fillet steaks, about 180g and 4cm thick
3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
500g new potatoes, scrubbed
5-6 tbsp olive oil
few sprigs of rosemary
8 garlic cloves, skin on and lightly crushed
knob of butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:

Preheat oven to 220°C/Gas 7.

Place the new potatoes in a large pan and fill with cold water to cover. Add a generous pinch of salt, partially cover with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a skewer. Drain and refresh under cold, running water. Halve the potatoes and pat dry with kitchen paper. Set aside.

To prepare the topping, gently sauté the shallot and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for about 5 minutes until nicely softened. Add a further 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the mushrooms over a high heat, stirring frequently, for about 7 minutes until browned and cooked. The mixture should be quite dry. If necessary, tip it into a sieve to drain off any remaining liquid. Remove the garlic clove and transfer the mushrooms to a bowl, allow to cool.

Whip the cream until softly stiff. Fold in the mushrooms along with the egg yolk, herbs and a tablespoon of the grated Parmesan, then season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Season the steaks all over with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick frying pan until you can feel a strong heat rising. Cook the steaks for about 2-3 minutes, turning them to seal all over. Remove from the pan. Put the steaks on a shallow baking tray. Pile the mushroom mixture on top of the steaks and dust with the remaining Parmesan. Cook in the oven uncovered, for about 5-7 minutes until the topping is bubbling and golden.

Meanwhile, finish off the potatoes. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the garlic and rosemary, followed by the potatoes. Sauté over a fairly high heat, until the potatoes are golden brown - stir throughout to prevent them sticking to the pan. Add a knob of butter towards the end of cooking, season generously with salt and pepper.

When ready, serve the steaks with the sautéed potatoes.

This is a stunning recipe and stands awfully proud on those tantalising concentric circles of the Royal Doulton Gordon Ramsay plate – can I give a dish three forks?