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Recipe 11

Smoky Flank Steak Dinner with Smashed Potatoes and Brown-Butter Mustard Cream

A plated meal built around the steak seasoning from flank-steak-sandwiches-pickled-red-onions-brown-butter-mayo. The steak remains the main event, with crispy garlic potatoes, lemon-charred green beans and a brown-butter cream sauce. The Dijon version avoids buying fresh horseradish for a single spoonful.

Yield
2
Time
1 hour, plus 45 minutes to overnight seasoning

Complete recipe

Read from start to finish.

Before you start

Ingredients

Flank steak

  • 600 g flank steak
  • 9 g salt
  • 12 ml olive oil
  • 12 ml Worcestershire sauce
  • 6 ml Dijon mustard
  • 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, grated
  • 2 g smoked paprika
  • 1 g freshly ground black pepper
  • Optional: 1 g ancho, chipotle or chilli powder

Crispy garlic smashed potatoes

  • 600 g small potatoes
  • 30 ml olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 20 g butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 10 g chopped parsley or chives
  • Optional: 1 g smoked paprika

Lemon-charred green beans

  • 250–300 g green beans, trimmed
  • 15 ml olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated
  • 15 ml lemon juice
  • Optional: a few spoonfuls of pickled red onions

Brown-butter mustard cream

  • 100 g crème fraîche or sour cream
  • 20 g butter
  • 10–12 ml Dijon mustard
  • 10 ml lemon juice, plus more to taste
  • 1–2 g coarsely ground black pepper
  • Small pinch of salt
  • Optional: chopped chives

Recipe notes

Notes

Horseradish substitutions

The sauce above uses the simplest substitute: extra Dijon mustard, so no separate horseradish product is required.

If preferred, replace the 10–12 ml Dijon in the sauce with one of these versions:

  • Prepared horseradish: 15 ml prepared grated horseradish plus 5 ml Dijon. This is the original flavour profile; use a small jar or tube rather than fresh root.
  • Wasabi paste: 5 ml wasabi paste plus 5 ml Dijon. Taste and increase the wasabi to 10 ml if needed. Most inexpensive wasabi paste is horseradish-based and gives the closest sharp heat.
  • Hot English mustard: 5 ml hot English mustard plus 5 ml Dijon. Add more only after tasting.

For any substitute, adjust the sauce with extra lemon if it tastes too rich or extra crème fraîche if it becomes too aggressive.

Timing

  1. Salt and marinate the steak.
  2. Make the sauce.
  3. Boil and roast the potatoes.
  4. Add the beans for the final 12 minutes.
  5. Cook the steak when the potatoes have about 15 minutes remaining.
  6. Rest the steak while the sides finish, then slice and serve immediately.

9 steps

Method

Step 1 of 9

  1. Salt the steak. Find the direction of the grain before cooking. Cut the steak into two pan-sized pieces if needed. Salt evenly with 9 g salt and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes; several hours or overnight is better.

Step 2 of 9

  1. Add the flavour paste. Mix 12 ml olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, 6 ml Dijon, grated garlic, smoked paprika, black pepper and optional chilli powder. Rub it over the steak 30–60 minutes before cooking.

Step 3 of 9

  1. Make the sauce. Brown 20 g butter in a small pan until golden and nutty. Let it cool for about 5 minutes. Mix it into the crème fraîche with 10–12 ml Dijon, lemon juice, black pepper and a small pinch of salt. Refrigerate, then take it out about 15 minutes before serving.

Step 4 of 9

  1. Start the potatoes. Heat the oven to 220°C fan or 230°C conventional. Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 15 minutes, until tender but not collapsing. Drain and let them steam-dry for a few minutes.

Step 5 of 9

  1. Smash and roast. Put the potatoes on a baking tray and squash each to roughly 1–2 cm thick. Drizzle with 30 ml olive oil and season with salt, pepper and optional smoked paprika. Roast for 25–30 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp.

Step 6 of 9

  1. Add the beans. When the potatoes have about 12 minutes remaining, toss the green beans with 15 ml olive oil, salt and pepper. Add them to the same tray or a second tray and roast until blistered but still retaining some bite.

Step 7 of 9

  1. Cook the steak. Scrape away excess marinade and loose garlic, then pat the surface mostly dry. Heat a cast-iron or heavy frying pan until properly hot. Sear for approximately 3–5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Pull at 52–54°C for medium-rare or 56–58°C for medium.

Step 8 of 9

  1. Rest and finish the sides. Rest the steak for 10 minutes. Melt 20 g butter and mix it with the grated garlic and herbs, then toss it with the hot potatoes. Toss the beans with their grated garlic, lemon juice and optional pickled red onions.

Step 9 of 9

  1. Slice and serve. Slice the steak thinly against the grain, preferably at a slight angle, and spoon the resting juices over it. Plate with the potatoes and beans. Serve the brown-butter mustard cream alongside so the steak stays in charge.

Recipe preview

9 steps

A few ingredients

  • 600 g flank steak
  • 9 g salt
  • 12 ml olive oil
  • 12 ml Worcestershire sauce
  • 6 ml Dijon mustard

The opening moves

  1. 01

    Salt the steak. Find the direction of the grain before cooking. Cut the steak into two pan-sized pieces if ne...

  2. 02

    Add the flavour paste. Mix 12 ml olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, 6 ml Dijon, grated garlic, smoked paprika,...

  3. 03

    Make the sauce. Brown 20 g butter in a small pan until golden and nutty. Let it cool for about 5 minutes. Mix...

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