Seared fillet steak with asparagus and mushrooms

Seared fillet steak with asparagus and mushrooms from Meat and Two Veg by Fiona Beckett.

What did I make? Happy Easter everyone! Obviously I couldn't eat anything chocolatey for Easter, but I do hope that you did (and ate double for me!). I thought that I would make something yummy for Chris to eat on Bank Holiday Monday and so I chose this recipe from Fiona Beckett - seared fillet steak with asparagus and mushrooms. Fiona says that "saute potatoes go well with this" and so I decided to try them as an accompaniment (yes, this meal will consist of meat and 3 veg!). I must confess that I have never made saute potatoes before and so am looking forward to trying them out. This recipe contains another first for me - the asparagus is pan fried. Well, it is microwaved for 3 minutes until tender and then pan fried with the mushrooms. I have steamed, roasted and boiled asparagus before...but never pan fried it, so am excited about trying it a different way. So, the recipe is for pan-fried asparagus with pan-fried mushrooms with just a little balsamic vinegar, Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper stirred through at the end. The fillet steak is rolled in a mixed pepper, Maldon salt, dried rosemary, flour and then seared briefly on all sides before being transfered into a blisteringly hot oven for 10-15 minutes (depending on how rare you like your steak). The saute potatoes are chopped into little cubes and then cooked in a crazy amount of groundnut oil in a wok (more on that later) and then drained on kithen paper and sprinkled with salt.

The original quantities were for 4, so I quartered them for Chris apart from the quantities of saute potatoes which I kept the same for 2-3 (okay, that was a mistake, realised as soon as I had peeled and cubed the potatoes! - he ate them all though!).

(Searing that beautiful piece of fillet rubbed in mixed pepper/salt/dried rosemary/flour - drool)

(and the other side.....)

Where did I get the ingredients from? I brought all of the veg and other various items from Tescos before Chris and I went shopping where - by the way - I brought the sexiest pair of shoes known to man (see pic!). I brought the fillet steak from the butcher and I rather naughtily brought a 250g piece, even though to honeslty quarter the recipe, I would have only needed 150g! It looked so good I could have eaten it raw (oh dear, I hope my LighterLife diet isn't turning me into a psychotic ravenous carnivore!).

(Pan-frying the asparagus - this photo doesn't do justice to just how crispy brown the asparagus went)

How easy was it to make? Really easy :) The steak is no trouble at all and literally only needs rolling in a delightfully scented mixture and sealing (briefly) on all sided before being transfered into the oven for as long as you want. I took it out after 20 minutes, but Chris was not convinced, so I cooked it for a further 10 minutes. Grrrrrr....that is where Christopher and I differ. I like my steak practically still quivering on the plate, whereas Chris likes his well done. Seeing as I am the one not eating, I suppose I must allow him his culinary voice (just this once!). The asparagus and mushrooms are so quick and easy to make that I will probably do them again for him and my God; the asparagus is so easy and looks so good that I will definately try that one for myself when I am a slinky 9 stone 5 lbs (my target weight). Basically one just microwaves the asparagus for 3 minutes until tender and then pan-fries it in oil and melted butter until it stars crisping up and going a delightfully golden brown. I was brought up all my life without a microwave and so I can't help being a bit dubious about its culinary properties, but it saved so much time that I will certainly do this again. Right at the end of the cooking process, when the steak was resting, one cooks the mushrooms in oil and melted butter, stirs in the pan fried asparagus and then seasons with balsamic vineger, salt and pepper. The potatoes were a bloody nightmare, but that was all my fault because I forgot that the wok had rusted and was therefore unusable - beyond any hope of seasoning! I therefore had to fry the little cubes of potaotes in a deep frying pan, which unfortunately had the annoying habit of making the potatoes stick to the bottom of the pan like glue, which meant that I had to be super vigilant and keep moving the potatoes about with a wooden spatula. 350g of cubed potatoes are sauted in 200ml groundnut oil, which is a lot by anyones' standards! However, I must begrudgingly admit that this cooking method made for the most wonderful crispy dark brown little cubes of oily and crispy crunchy potatoes!

(Pan-frying the sliced chestnut mushrooms in oil and melted butter)

What did Chris think? Chris thought that this was a really nice meal. In fact, I overheard him say that it was the best steak that he has ever eaten. The beef was really tender, with a mleting texture like butter. It tasted aromatic of the mixed pepper and the dried rosemary. The asparagus and mushrooms were really good and he said that he would definately eat them that way again. The potatoes were really good and it was interesting to have them this way. I must admit that we have really got into a "roasted-rosemary-and-garlic-potato" rut as of late! All in all, Chris said that this was a real 5/5 meal!

(DING DONG; Check out these sauted potatoes!)

Was I tempted to cheat and eat some? Hell yes! Everything looked so good. The steak smelled very fragrant (obviously because of the rosemary-mixed pepper rub), but luckily I wouldn't eat steak so well done (yes, even fillet!). The asparagus and mushroom mixture looked glossy, burnished and sexy as, but I could have taken or left them (especially as I had the delight of a LighterLife mushroom soup food pack to look forward to!). The potatoes really were calling my name though. I haven't eaten carbs for nearly a month now and those little heavenly golden crispy and crunchy cubes of goodness really were tempting....but I live to give! ;)

Did I cheat? No way, I still have another 4 stone, 13 lbs to loose! And plus I have a will of steel, baby!

(How do I love thee? Let me count the ways; 1.) You are glossy and brand new 2.) You have the highest heel known to man 3.) You have a sexy toe platform a la The Spice Girls 4.)You have a peep-toe 5.) I have yet to scuff you........)