Steak with Green Peppercorn Hollandaise

I was served steak with green peppercorn hollandaise at the comfortable Kilchoan Hotel on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula on Scotland’s west coast. A simple hollandaise with pickled green peppercorns is such an easy way to dress up a steak with what’s in the fridge and pantry, that I told the chef he should consider it stolen! Use the same method to make sauce Maltaise, a variation using blood orange juice. Serve this steak with a simple salad alongside, see the video below for one to keep the British theme going. I often also serve Hasselback potatoes with this steak. They’re said to have been created at the Hasselback Restaurant in Stockholm and are generally basted with butter. Some variations include herbs, breadcrumbs and cheese but, as the hollandaise is quite rich, I use olive oil and keep them simple. Oval potatoes with a relatively flat base work best, otherwise trim off the base so they sit flat on the chopping board. You can slice them without a guide, but every time I’ve tried I slice all the way through at least once, so I like this foolproof method. I love a glass or 2 of Grey Sands The Mattock with this dish, the blend of merlot, malbec and cabernet franc works so well with the spicy peppercorns.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 x 200g potatoes, peeled
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Salt flakes, to taste
2 x 220g pieces Scotch fillet (rib eye)
Green salad, for serving

Green Peppercorn Hollandaise

2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons strained lemon juice
100g salted butter
2 tablespoons (30g) green peppercorns in brine, rinsed and drained

Method

Preheat oven to 220ºC.
Place a potato on a chopping board between 2 wooden chopsticks or the handles of 2 wooden spoons and, starting from the centre, make cuts, 2-3mm apart, all the way through until the knife rests on the chopsticks. Repeat with remaining potato.
Place in a small ovenproof dish, drizzle generously with oil and sprinkle generously with salt.
Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes, basting occasionally, until tender and brown.
Meanwhile, remove the meat from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking, to bring it to room temperature.
Heat a char-grill pan or barbecue until hot.
Rub meat with a little oil and sprinkle with salt.
Cook the meat for 3-4 minutes each side for medium-rare, depending on thickness, or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the pan and set aside for a few minutes in a warm place.
Meanwhile, make Green Peppercorn Hollandaise: combine egg yolks and lemon juice in a blender. Place butter in a saucepan and heat until bubbling. With the blender running, slowly pour the butter in, leaving the milky residue in the pan. Remove from blender and stir through the peppercorns.
Serve steaks topped with Green Peppercorn Hollandaise with potatoes and salad on the side.