Sirloin steak with cavolo nero dressing and baby potatoes
You can't go wrong with this classic combination of sirloin steak, garlic-roasted potatoes and cavolo nero pesto.
Ingredients
For the sirloin steak
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 sirloin steak on the bone (about 500g/1lb 2oz)
- 1 garlic bulb, skin-on and smashed
- 30g/1oz salted butter
- 6 sage leaves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the garlic-roasted potatoes
- 8 small Jersey Royal potatoes or new potatoes, scrubbed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
For the cavolo nero dressing
- 400g/14oz cavolo nero, stalks removed
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú pine nuts
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú Parmesan, grated
- 1–2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 50–100ml/2–3½fl oz olive oil
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 100–200ml/3½–7fl oz chicken stock
Method
To cook the sirloin steak, heat a large, ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat. Season the steak generously. Add the olive oil to the pan, followed by the steak. Cook for 8–10 minutes on each side in order to develop a good crust – don't move it around.
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
Add the garlic to the pan and put in the oven for 5 minutes to finish the cooking. This is the rough timing for a medium finish given the weight of the steak – you'll need to adjust your timings if you want the steak more or less cooked. Remove from the oven (keep it on to cook the potatoes), add the sage leaves and butter and baste for a minute or two. Remember that the steak will continue to cook after you've removed it from the oven. Rest for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the dish.
For the garlic-roasted baby potatoes, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Boil the potatoes until just soft, then drain and break them apart gently.
Add the olive oil to a roasting tray and heat in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the tray, add the new potatoes, along with the garlic cloves. Roast for 10–15 minutes, basting occasionally with the oil until the potatoes are crispy and golden.
For the cavolo nero dressing, boil the cavolo nero in a large pan of salted water for a few minutes until soft, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking.
Blend the cooked cavolo nero with the rest of the ingredients to make a pesto. Pour the stock into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Let the pesto down with enough of the stock to loosen it into a dressing consistency. Taste the dressing and season if necessary.
To serve, spoon some of the cavolo nero dressing onto the plates and add the crispy potatoes. Slice the beef and serve alongside. Spoon over any sage and butter juices.
