Jamie Oliver - Ultimate Steak Recipe For 2 or 4 People! Jamie Oliver
The video provides a detailed guide on preparing a luxurious steak meal perfect for a weekend feast. The focus is on using a double-thickness steak, which allows for a beautiful crust and juicy interior. The steak is seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, and cooked with a herb brush made from rosemary, thyme, and oregano to infuse flavor. The importance of letting the steak reach room temperature before cooking is highlighted to ensure even cooking. Additionally, the video explains how to make the ultimate roast potatoes using Maris Piper potatoes, boiled until slightly mushy, then roasted with olive oil, butter, rosemary, and garlic for a crunchy exterior and fluffy interior. A unique tip involves using a spritzer filled with flavored vinegar to add a subtle, extra layer of flavor to the potatoes. The meal is completed with a fresh lemon and watercress salad, making it a perfect treat for special occasions.
Key Points:
- Use double-thickness steak for better crust and juicy interior.
- Season steak with sea salt and black pepper; let it reach room temperature before cooking.
- Create a herb brush with rosemary, thyme, and oregano for flavor infusion.
- Boil Maris Piper potatoes until mushy, then roast with olive oil, butter, rosemary, and garlic.
- Use a spritzer with flavored vinegar to enhance roast potatoes' flavor.
Details:
1. 🍽️ Introduction to the Ultimate Steak Meal
- This steak meal is designed to be a blowout meal, ideal for special weekend occasions.
- The focus is on a double steak with double thickness, sufficient to feed two very hungry individuals or up to four people.
- The preparation aims to create an incredible crust with amazing flavor, while ensuring the meat remains juicy and blushing in the middle.
- This is not a regular meal; it is intended as a special, extra effort dish to elevate a weekend feast.
2. 🥩 Understanding the Cut of Meat
- The 'coat to birth' cut is French trimmed, removing the meat off the bone, which affects presentation and cooking time.
- It includes two main cuts: the cap meat, known for its darker, sweet flavor, and the eye meat, likened to a tastier sirloin steak.
- Intramuscular fat within these cuts melts during cooking, significantly enhancing flavor and seasoning, making it crucial for achieving desired taste profiles.
- The cap meat's unique flavor profile makes it highly sought after for roasts, while the eye meat offers a superior alternative to traditional sirloin steaks in terms of taste.
- Understanding these characteristics can help in choosing the right cut for specific dishes and cooking methods, optimizing both flavor and texture.
3. 🥔 Perfecting Golden Crunchy Roast Potatoes
- Use Maris Piper potatoes for the best results as they have been tested and proven to be the most effective for achieving the perfect roast potatoes.
- Peel potatoes to the size of a squash ball for optimal cooking and texture.
- Boil potatoes for 12 minutes until slightly mushy to enhance the outer crunchiness and inner fluffiness.
- Preheat the oven and tray to 200°C (400°F) to ensure even cooking and crispiness.
- Utilize a combination of olive oil and butter to add color and a sweet flavor profile.
- Incorporate rosemary, noted for its compatibility with beef and potatoes, and its added health benefits as an anti-depressant.
- Add a whole bulb of garlic, unpeeled, to infuse additional flavor without extra preparation.
4. 🔥 Cooking the Ultimate Steak
- Prepare the potatoes by coating them with herbs and sprinkling with sea salt. Bake them at 220°C for 45 minutes to an hour until they are golden and crisp.
- Season the steak with sea salt and finely ground black pepper to complement the beef's natural flavors.
- Ensure the steak is removed from the fridge 1.5 hours before cooking to allow it to reach room temperature, preventing uneven cooking.
- Begin cooking the steak by placing it fat side down in a preheated pan to render the fat and enhance the flavor.
- For optimal steak doneness, consider cooking times and temperatures: rare (125°F), medium-rare (135°F), medium (145°F), and well-done (160°F).
5. 🌿 Creating Flavor with Herbs and Cooking Techniques
- Double steaks allow for the creation of a bark or crust, enhancing flavor and texture, unlike single portion steaks.
- Turn the steak every minute to achieve perfect results, ensuring fats render properly to contribute to flavor.
- Create a herb brush using Woody herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or oregano tied to a wooden spoon, adding a layer of flavor through perfumed simplicity.
- Cooking steak for 6 minutes on each side achieves a medium rare finish, with outside gnarly and gorgeous.
- Utilize various Woody herbs for different flavor profiles, such as rosemary for piney aroma or thyme for earthy notes.
- Experiment with alternating turning techniques to find the perfect texture and flavor balance.
- Consider the impact of herb choice on the final dish, with oregano providing a robust, slightly bitter taste.
6. 🔍 Secret Tips for Enhanced Roast Potatoes
- Professional chefs often use spritzers to apply flavored vinegars such as cider or red wine vinegar on roast potatoes to enhance flavor without overpowering them.
- Spritz the vinegars when the potatoes are nearly done and return them to the oven for an additional 30 seconds. This allows the flavors to adhere and form a subtle crust.
- Different vinegars offer unique flavor profiles: cider vinegar adds sharpness, while red wine vinegar provides a deeper, more robust taste.
- This technique is a restaurant secret that subtly elevates the dish, enhancing the natural taste of the potatoes.
7. 🍋 Final Touches and Serving the Meal
- Squash roast potatoes to increase surface area for crispiness and expose fluffiness.
- Apply a final spritz of vinegar and a sizzle in the oven for enhanced flavor.
- Season steak with sea salt and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil mixed with juices to maintain moisture.
- Serve with a fresh lemon and watercress salad for balance.