Steak Diane and Potato Gratin Recipe

This recipe makes quite a strongly flavoured sauce, so a little extra cream could be added if you prefer a milder flavour. Have all of the sauce ingredients measured out before starting the sauce, as you need to work quickly.

We accompany the steaks with individual potato gratins: layers of potato, onion and cheese, drizzled with cream and baked until the potato is tender and cheese is golden.

Serves 2.

We use a 20ml tablespoon for all of our recipes.

Steak Diane
2 fillet or rump steaks (about 160g-180g each)
2 teaspoons (10ml) oil
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons (40ml) brandy
20g (1 tablespoon) butter
2 tablespoons (40ml) Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon (5ml) Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon (5ml) lemon juice
3 tablespoons (60ml) cream
Chopped chives or parsley, to garnish

Place steaks in a large freezer bag to prevent the meat juices spraying when pounding. Pound steaks with the flat side of a meat mallet until about 3/4cm thick. Discard freezer bag.

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook steaks over medium-high heat until done to your liking. Remove pan from heat. Remove steaks to a plate and season them with salt and pepper. Loosely cover steaks with foil and set aside.

Place pan over medium heat and add brandy, butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, lemon juice and cream. Stir until well combined and then simmer until the sauce reaches the desired consistency, stirring occasionally. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Return steaks and any juices to pan. Reheat steaks if necessary, and turn to coat in sauce. Place a steak and a potato gratin on each serving plate, pour sauce over steaks and garnish with herbs.


Individual Potato Gratin Recipe

Preparation time: about 20 minutes (excludes baking time)

250g potatoes (about 2 small potatoes)
Salt and pepper
30g peeled and very thinly sliced onion
30g (1/2 cup, very loosely packed) grated tasty cheddar cheese
62ml (1/4 cup) cream

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. For this recipe, we don't find it necessary to use a lower temperature for a fan-forced oven.

Lightly grease two 1-cup capacity ramekins. Cut 2 strips of baking paper approximately 3cm wide and long enough to extend along the base and up over the sides of each ramekin (these strips are used to lift the cooked gratins out of the ramekins). Place one strip of baking paper across the base of each ramekin. Then line the base of each ramekin with baking paper.

Peel potatoes and slice very thinly. Line the base of each ramekin with a layer of potato slices (using about 1/4 of the potato). Season potato with salt and pepper. Top potato slices with about 1/3 of the onion. Divide the grated cheese into two equal portions. Reserve one portion for sprinkling on top of the gratins. Use about 1/3 of the remaining cheese portion to sprinkle over the onion. Continue this layering process, finishing with the reserved cheese. Drizzle the cream over the gratins.

Cover each ramekin with greaseproof paper (make sure the paper isn't resting on the cheese, or the melted cheese topping will lift off when you remove the paper). Bake for about 55 minutes, or until the potato is tender when tested with a skewer or sharp knife, and the cheese is golden.

Run a sharp knife around the inside of each ramekin to loosen the gratins. Lift gratins, using baking paper strips as handles, onto warm serving plates. Holding the flat blade of a knife against the side of the gratin facing you, gently pull the baking paper out from under the gratin. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au