Rustic Rare Beef Fillet...

This last Thursday was my turn to play host to my mom and I decided it would be nice to do something a little bit out of the ordinary. I recently bought a whole lot of carrots and baby tomatoes as they were on special at the local food market… so I knew that whatever I was going to do – they were going to be included in the dish. The night before, I had made a large batch of cauli mash to accompany my lamb chops and there was still quite a bit of that left over, so I thought I might as well make use of that too. We used to have steak nights quite regularly, but actually have not had one in a while, and although I generally tend to gravitate to the steak cuts with plenty of fat on them – yesterday I decided to opt for something a little more elegant.

The meal was actually incredibly simple. I roasted the thinly sliced carrots, halved baby tomatoes and diced peppadew in a mix of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and a little bit of sugar. The fillet steak, I enjoy a nice rare steak, and in fact – this one could have been a little rarer in my opinion – but it was still fantastic! I rolled the steak in seasoned sea salt, black pepper and olive oil and cooked it in the oven at 220 degrees Celsius for 15 min – but I think next time I will do it at the same temp – but for 5 min less… I really am a blood gravy kind of girl haha.

I was aiming for a "messy plate" – something rustic… and so I served the fillet slices on the scattered roast veg with a bed of cauli mash and some avo and freshly chopped parsley to finish. It was a very unique and tasty dish – but I think that the next time I do it – I might like to elevate it a little with a side flavour that has a nice strong signature… like coriander or perhaps even blue cheese crumbles… but that’s a story for another day haha! This round turned out wonderfully and everyone’s plates were empty which is always a good sign!