Carpetbag steak with potato cake and greens
Carpetbag steak is a traditional dish from Swansea in Wales that combines beef steak with oysters.
Ingredients
For the carpetbag steak
- 6 fresh oysters, shucked
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 2 thick, centre-cut fillets of beef, about 200g/7oz
- 3 strips pancetta or lardo
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
- 200ml/7fl oz chicken stock
- 100ml/3½fl oz Madeira
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú plain flour
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú cornmeal
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the potato cake
- 2 free-range egg whites
- 450g/1lb freshly mashed potato
- 150ml/5fl oz double cream
- 150ml/5fl oz full-fat milk
- 3 free-range egg yolks, beaten
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the greens
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- handful wild garlic leaves
- handful cavolo nero
- lemon wedge
Method
For the carpetbag steak, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Place the oysters in a shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over the lemon juice. Cut a slit in the steak to make a pouch and stuff with two of the oysters. Wrap the pancetta around the steak and secure with a cocktail stick. Heat the butter in a frying pan over a high heat and sear the steak until coloured. Transfer to a roasting tin and cook in the oven for 6–8 minutes until rare, or for longer if preferred. Leave to rest for 10 minutes and then slice.
Preheat the deep fat fryer to 180C. Place the flour and cornmeal in two wide, shallow bowls and dip the remaining oysters into each bowl. Cook in the deep fat fryer for 3–4 minutes, depending on the size of the oysters, or until golden. Transfer to kitchen paper to drain.
For the potato cakes, whisk the egg whites with an electric hand mixer in a large bowl. Mix the mashed potato with the cream, milk and yolks in a separate large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the egg whites. Divide the mixture into small blini-sized patties and pat down into flat pancakes. Heat the oil in a blini or frying pan and cook the cakes on both sides until golden.
Delgaze the pan with the chicken stock and Madeira then reduce to a sauce-like consistency.
For the greens, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the wild garlic and cavolo nero until just wilted. Season with a squeeze of lemon.
Divide the potato cakes between two warmed plates and top with the sautéed greens. Serve with the steak slices and crispy oysters, with the sauce poured over.
