Roast root vegetable salad with horseradish and balsamic vinigarette; whole roast fillet steak with buttered carrots and madeira sauce. Recipes serve four
Roast root vegetable salad with horseradish and balsamic vinigarette
• 400g small carrots (or larger ones cut lengthways)
• 400g parsnips, quartered lengthways
• 4 turnips, quartered
• extra virgin olive oil
• 4 small cooked beetroot
• 1 heaped tbsp grated horseradish (you can buy jars of grated horseradish)
• balsamic vinegar
Wash all the vegetables, then toss the carrots, parsnips and turnips together in four tablespoons of olive oil. Spread on a roasting tray, making sure they are not too close together (or they will steam) and season generously with salt and pepper.
Roast in a preheated oven, at 200C/gas six, for 25-30 minutes or until just tender. Remove and keep warm. Add the beetroot to the roasting tray, toss in the oil and return to the oven for 10 minutes, to heat through.
Pile the vegetables on to four plates, sprinkle the horseradish on top, then make a vinaigrette from the oil remaining in the roasting tray and a teaspoon or two of balsamic vinegar. Pour this over the vegetables and serve.
Whole roast fillet steak with buttered carrots and madeira sauce
• 2 dessertspoons unsalted butter
• 2 slices pancetta, finely chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 stick celery, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp plain flour
• 1 glass Madeira
• ½ good-quality beef stock cube
• 600g carrots, thinly sliced
• 100g butter
• 1 piece fillet steak, weighing about 600g
• olive oil
Saute the pancetta and onion in a tablespoon of the butter for 10 minutes, allowing it to colour towards the end. Add the carrot and celery and, when they colour, the tomato puree. Cook for a further five minutes. Add the flour and cook for a further two minutes. Pour in the Madeira and, as it sizzles, ignite it and allow the alcohol to burn off. Add the stock cube and a glass of water. Bring everything to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Check the seasoning, then pour through a sieve, pressing out as much of the juices as you can.
Combine the sliced carrots and butter with two tablespoons of water in a large frying pan over a gentle heat. Simmer, turning occasionally, for 20 minutes, until the carrots are tender. Take care at the end, as the butter can catch; you may need to add a little more water.
Preheat the oven as high as it will go. Lightly dress the beef fillet in olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Heat a dry ovenproof frying pan until it is smoking hot. Slide in the beef and seal all over (this takes about two minutes). Put the pan in the top of the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Remove and allow the meat to rest for at least 10 minutes.
Return the sauce to the heat. Bring almost to the boil and whisk in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Slice and serve with the carrots and sauce.