Fillet Steak ‘au poivre’ with shoestring fries

Start with preparing your shoestring fries. Slice the potatoes thinly on a mandolin and then roll your knife through them to create thin matchstick length chips. Wash the potato in iced water to remove excess starch and then dry thoroughly on a cloth. Set aside in the fridge on the cloth to continue drying until cooking.

Now for the steaks. Heat a non-stick frying pan until it is smoking hot, then add the oil. Season the steaks liberally with sea salt then brown on all sides in the pan.

Now reduce the heat slightly and keep turning the steaks every 30 seconds. Use a metal skewer to check the internal temperature of the steak: when medium rare, the skewer should be warm to touch (if you have a meat thermometer, aim for approximately 46 degrees for medium rare). Remove the steaks and rest them for 5 minutes on a plate.

While the steaks are resting, pour the cognac into the pan (be careful if using a gas hob as the cognac can briefly ignite). Next, add the black pepper and cook out for a minute until the liquid has almost evaporated. Then add the cream and stock and reduce by half before adding the green peppercorns. Cook over a high heat for 2 minutes until a thick sauce-like consistency has formed.

Now return the steaks to the pan, along with all the resting juices from the plate. Coat the steaks in the sauce, season with a touch of lemon juice, and serve warm.

To cook the shoestring fries, place the oil in a heavy based pan and heat to approx. 170c. Add the fries, in batches, and keep moving in the oil using a slotted spoon for 2 to 3 mins until evenly golden brown. Remove and dry on paper and season with salt. Serve these on top of the steaks.