Steak with Peppercorn Sauce and Barbecue Wedges

2 x 250g steaks, (sirloin, fillet or rump) roughly 1cm thick.

100ml single cream.

1 shot of brandy

3 potatoes unpeeled

A handful of watercress

Packet or jar of barbeque seasoning

Salt

Pepper

preparation 2 mins • you cook for 15 mins • total time 47 mins

Serves 2

Watch a 30 second preview of my cook-along video below

If you cannot view the video below, click here to download QuickTime from Apple's website.

This is a proper classic. The creamy peppercorn sauce works so well with a succulent steak. If my wife would allow me, I'd eat this every day! Proper blokes' food at its best. And you also get to set fire to the sauce! This is a two part recipe. In part one we make and bake the wedges. In part two we cook the steak and make the sauce.

Baking tray for the potato wedges

Bowl to mix the wedges

Pan to fry the steaks

Spoon to stir

Before you start, have all the potatoes out with the barbeque seasoning and mixing bowl, pop your baking tray into the oven and preheat to 200c. Now click here!

Before you start, put a pan on a high heat for the steak, have the steaks out and ready, and the watercress waiting to the side. Now click here!

Firstly pop your baking tray in the oven and preheat to 200c. Next you need to make the potato wedges. Cut the potatoes in half lengthways, then with the flat side of the half on your board, cut them in half again, so you should have 4 big wedges per potato. These will probably be too big still, so cut each quarter in half again, so you end up with thinner wedges like the photo below.

Next pop all the wedges in your mixing bowl and add about 1 tablespoon of oil. Mix it around with one hand (leaves the other clean!) to coat each wedge. Next add about 2 tablespoons of the barbeque seasoning and mix together to coat. Take your baking tray out of the oven and scatter the wedges onto it, spreading them out so that they're a single layer, before popping the tray back in the oven.

The wedges will take about 40 minutes in total, however give them a shake after 20 minutes and start the next process after 30 minutes, then everything will be finished at the same time.

After 30 minutes put your frying pan for the steaks on to the hob on a high heat whilst you oil and season the steaks. Put about a teaspoon of oil on the steaks and rub it in, before adding a good pinch of salt and pepper to both sides. Once your pan has come to the point that it's starting to smoke, add the steaks and then go and wash your hands. The steaks will take about 1 minute on each side if you got 1cm thick steaks. This will be for medium rare. Add approximately 30 seconds per side for medium, another 30 seconds for medium well etc. Don't move the steak in the pan, just let the heat do the work.

Once you turn the steaks, you should see a really nice caramelised colour on the cooked side. Cook for another minute or until it's cooked to your liking and then turn the heat off and pop them on a board to rest.

Take the cream, the brandy and the pepper over to the hob. You need to add loads of pepper to the pan. I would say about 30 turns of a peppermill. Next you need to flame the brandy. This'll create a large flame so please read carefully and take care. The way to do this is to turn the hob on, then holding your pan away from the hob, pour in the brandy. Slowly move and then tilt the pan towards the hob flame and then IT WILL FLAME! If you have an over cooker hood, as soon as it flames, lift the pan away from the hob, so you have more height for the flame. If should only burn for about a second, but I don't want you burning down your kitchens!! If you have an electric hob, you will need to light it with a match, so again, be careful.

As soon as the flame goes, pop the pan on the hob and give it a good scrape with a wooden spoon to get all the caramelised juices from the steak off the pan. Add in the cream and give it a good stir. Turn the heat down to low and let the sauce bubble away whilst you take the potato wedges out of the oven and over to your work surface.

By now the sauce should be bubbling away nicely. Give a little stir and it's all ready to serve. To serve, pop one of the steaks onto one side of your plate. Add the potato wedges next to it and stack them to tidy them. Add a little bit of watercress to the free space and then pour some sauce over one half of the steak.

I hope that you enjoy it.

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