Linda Barker's seared beef with vegetable and potato salad

As Linda’s father was a wholesale butcher, she wanted to do this recipe in particular. She feels it is a perfect reflection of the food she grew up eating, and what she still likes to cook now. When she was a child, she says they had a huge vegetable patch in the garden and she has fond memories of eating peas and broad beans straight from the pods - all the vegetables in this dish are things her family used to grow. She can remember not liking rocket very much as it was so peppery, but now - of course - she loves it.

This dish is similar to carpaccio, but with the meat sliced a little more thickly. This makes it a bit more rustic. Linda also likes to sear the meat very quickly before slicing it up, as this gives a contrasting, encrusted edge of flavour.

If you don’t want to use beef fillet, you could use a cheaper cut such as sirloin. Alternatively, fish such as tuna or salmon work really well.

Seared Beef with Vegetable and Potato Salad

Serves 4

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cooking: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 x 500g beef fillet
• 300g new potatoes, halved if large
• 300g sweet potato, peeled and diced
• A small bunch of thyme
• Handful of peas – fresh if you can get them
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise

For the dressing:

• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 tbsp (or to taste) Dijon mustard
• A good dash of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise

To serve:

• 1 bunch chives, chopped
• A handful of pea shoots (optional)
• 1 bag rocket
• 1 bag watercress
• 5 spring onions, chopped

• Olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200c.
2. Divide the new potatoes into two. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook half the potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside until ready to use.
3. Dice the other half of the potatoes and place on a baking tray along with the diced sweet potatoes.  Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with some fresh thyme.  Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
4. Boil the peas until tender, drain, then run under cold water to refresh.
5. Lightly oil and season the piece of beef then place a frying pan over a high heat.  Let the pan get very hot, before searing the beef on all sides until golden brown. Set to one side to rest.
6. To make the dressing in a pestle and mortar, take a clove of garlic and pound into a smooth paste. Add the mustard, balsamic and 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and mix well. Finally, add enough olive oil until you get a salad dressing consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Thinly slice your rested beef.
8. Scatter the salad leaves on a big platter, sprinkle with a few of the cooked peas and spring onions then top with the sliced beef. Drizzle with dressing.
9. Remove the potatoes from the oven and place in a bowl. Add the boiled potatoes and mix together with a tablespoon of mayonnaise. Sprinkle with the chopped chives. Serve alongside the seared beef salad.

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