Black garlic marinated beef fillet, wild garlic and pommes paillasson

Method

Add a difference to your steak and chips using the rich umami flavours of the black garlic to create a caramelised crust on your steak. Pomme Paillasson is a shredded potato pancake, crisp on the outside and soft inside (similar to a hash brown).

To make the marinade

1. In a hot oven, bake the wild garlic until dark and crispy, then remove from the oven.
2. Blend the black garlic and the cooked wild garlic with water to create a paste, and then season.
3. Once the garlic marinade is cool, pour it over the beef and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

To make the pommes paillasson

1. Peel and grate the potatoes, then place in a saucepan and cover with the beef dripping.
2. Cook over a low heat until the potato is done (look for a gluey consistency).
3. Pour the potatoes into a sieve, draining any excess fat, then mix in the thyme and salt.
4. Pour the potato mixture into a tray lined with clingfilm – aim for it to be around 2cm thick.
5. Place a weight on top of the mixture (a plate or tray), refrigerate for a few hours until completely cooled, or overnight.
6. Once chilled, notice how the starch has set the potatoes into a solid block. Portion this into neat rectangles, then deep-fry in oil at 180°C until golden brown and crispy (this can be done in either a deep fryer or frying pan).

To cook the beef

1. In a hot pan, fry the steak to your preference, basting in the butter, garlic and thyme.
   Remove from the pan, then rest.
2. In the same pan, sauté some wild garlic leaves.

To serve

Dress the plate by arranging the sautéed wild garlic, alongside a portion of the potatoes, and carve the fillet into slices to plate (half a fillet per portion).

Chef’s tip: Serve with your preferred steak sauce. I used a beef and red wine jus but it would go just as well with peppercorn or Béarnaise sauce.