The first years harvest of our own homegrown (miniature I add) horseradish roots was the most judicious and pleasing reason to bring out the humble roast a few weekends ago. Star of the show, grated generously like hot, fierce confetti for a meaty beef groom and a fluffy, brunette, Yorkshire bride!
However, I love the smack this root gives and thought it would go dreamily in one of my favourite dishes- risotto. So this Sunday, instead of a roast, I opted for a rather extravagant (but all the same, delicious) wine poached steak to top my horseradish risotto. Drizzled greedily with a thick deep red wine reduction and some seasonal kale, I am set for the week!
- 200ml red wine
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 200ml beef stock
- tbsp butter
- tbsp flour
- 100g fillet/sirloin steak per person
- Begin by adding together the wine, stock, herbs and garlic and one a medium heat, simmer until reduced by about half the amount.
- It is important to ensure that the heat is too high so that the liquid is not boiling but gently simmering so your don’t boil your steak but poach it. Add your steak making sure that it is covered in the liquid but not drowning.
- Poach gently for about 7 minutes for medium depending on the thickness of you steak. Mine was about 2cm thick.
- Remove from the heat and allow to rest, covered, while you do the sauce.
- Turn up the heat again and simmer to reduce by about half again.
- Mix 1 tbsp of butter with 1 tbsp of flour in a bowl until you have a paste. This is called a beurre manie and is a method I regularly use to thicken sauces without the flour going lumpy and as a way to get yet more butter into a recipe!
- When you have a soft paste, whisk this into the sauce and allow it to thicken. The addition of the butter will also add a nice creamy shine to your sauce. Once it is to the right texture, taste, season and sieve.
- This can be served on anything from butternut squash, potato, celeriac or parsnip puree but I served mine on a horseradish risotto. I simply made a plain risotto recipe (minus the parmesan) with the addition of some rosemary and thyme and added 3 good tablespoons of fierce horseradish sauce (per 200g rice).
- Top the risotto with your poached steak and drizzle with a splash of red wine sauce and some nutmeg seasoned kale.