Recipes, Steak Recipes

Sirloin chop w/ warm jersey royal salad

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Dry-aged sirloin chops deserve a truly great side. This recipe by James Ferguson of The Kinneuchar Inn certainly hits the mark. Try it with a nice chilled red on a summer’s evening.

Serves 2

Ingredients

Method

  1. Remove your steak from the fridge at least 30 minutes before you intend to cook it so that it can come up to room temperature.
  2. In a small saucepan gently sweat down the shallots with the oil and 30g of the butter until sweet and translucent. Add the garlic and thyme, let them cook out and then remove them from the heat. Tip onto a plate big enough to hold the steak and keep warm.
  3. Put the red onion in a small bowl with the red wine vinegar and 50ml of cold water, leave for 15 minutes to soften the pungency of the onions and keep them crisp.
  4. Heat a cast iron skillet or frying pan, large enough to hold your steak, until smoking hot. On a tray season the steak generously with sea salt and black pepper. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and then pop the steak in standing up on its fat.
  5. Hold it there until a good amount of fat has rendered into the pan and then carefully lay the steak down on one side. Allow it to sear for a good 2 or 3 minutes (the meat should be well caramelised) and then turn and sear on the other side. After 2 or 3 minutes turn the steak again and repeat the process, flipping the steak again and again. Each side gets high heat for a short time. This constant turning will result in an even cook.
  6. After about 10 minutes, check the meat. I go by the feel of the steak but if you’re not confident you should use a temperature probe: 49-51°C rare / 53-55°C medium-rare / 57-59°C medium / 67°C medium-well.
  7. Once the steak has reached the doneness you like, turn the heat down to low and add the remaining butter. Let this melt and fizz, then baste the steak with it a few times.
  8. Cook the Jerseys in plenty of boiling salted water until tender. Whilst they’re cooking put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl along with the soaked onions (discard the water/vinegar mixture they were soaked in).
  9. Pop the steak on top of the shallot garlic mix and pour over the butter.
  10. You now need to rest the steak somewhere warm for at least the same amount of time you spent cooking it, 10 minutes minimum is essential. All the delicious resting juices and butter will now be mingling nicely with your shallot mulch.
  11. Once the potatoes are done drain them and if they are large cut them in halves or quarters – I’ll leave this to your judgement.
  12. Put the ‘hot’ potatoes in with the rest of the ingredients and give it all a good toss about. Have a taste and add more seasoning if necessary. At this point you might like to add an extra splash of vinegar or more olive oil, it’s your salad and you know how you like it!
  13. Carve the steak into slices the width of your little finger and then pour the resting juices and shallots over the top.
  14. Serve the potatoes with the steak, a pot of mustard and a generous glass of good quality wine.

Shop the ingredients

James Ferguson has over 20 years of industry experience, and a CV peppered with London hotspots such as The Connaught and Rochelle Canteen. However, as his 2019 relocation to the Kinneuchar Inn, Fife, has proved, James isn’t chasing awards or Michelin Stars. Customers of the Kinneuchar Inn are treated to a nostalgic, homely menu, and dishes created with a thoughtful simplicity. As a chef, James is produce-led, inspired by seasonality, and respectful of his ingredients. James celebrates the quality and variety of local seafood, fruit, vegetables, and pasture for life meat that Fife offers, and will work with a whole carcass nose-to-tail. James offers a daily changing menu to match the rhythm of local producers and offer the best of what’s naturally available.