Chateaubriand with Creamed Spinach & Crushed Baby Potatoes

SERVES 2 generously
TAKES 1 hour

A wonderful cut of beef, as tender as fillet but a little easier on the pocket price-wise. Golden crushed baby potatoes with creamy spinach is a wonderful combination to compliment the Chateaubriand. We recommend serving this on the rare side, as it is rather lean, with very little intermuscular fat. A decadent meal for two for a real weekend treat.

1. Remove the steak from the fridge 2 hours before you want to cook, to allow to come to room temperature.
2. Preheat your oven to 200C fan.
3. Par-boil the new potatoes in a pot of well salted water for 8 minutes until soft enough to pierce with a knife, drain and set aside to cool and dry.
4. Set the spinach in a colander and pour a good three kettles of boiling water over the spinach to wilt. Drain and allow to cool then place in a clean tea towel and squeeze out all the excess water, as much as you possibly can, roughly chop and set aside.
5. Set a pan on a medium heat, add the butter to melt, add in the onions and sweat down with a pinch of salt until softened and golden, approx. 6 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for one more minute until fragrant.
6. Pour in the milk and the cream, stirring well to combine, stir in the cream cheese until melted then finally add in the chopped spinach, grate in a generous amount of pecorino (however cheesy you want to go). Season to taste with salt at this stage if you feel you need to. Season with a crack of black pepper and set on a low heat to keep warm whilst you finish the dish.
7. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the potatoes out evenly. Using the base of a heavy-bottomed glass, push down onto each potato to crush them. Drizzle each piece with the vegetable oil, tossing to ensure both sides are nicely oiled. Sprinkle with a little salt and place in the oven for 30 minutes, remove and flip over, place back in for a final 15 minutes until golden and crispy.
8. Whilst the potatoes are cooking, you can begin on the chateaubriand. Set a griddle pan on a medium-high heat, oil the steak and season with a little salt, when the griddle is smoking, place in the chateaubriand. Sear on one side for 7 minutes then flip and cook for the same amount of time on the other side. You may have keep rotating as this particular steak is more cylindrical shaped than flat. This is for steak that is rare, if you want it cooked more, leave in the pan for a further 4 minutes each side.
9. Place on a board, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.
10. Now you are ready to serve, carve the chateaubriand into thick-ish slices, serve with a generous dollop of the creamed spinach and a scattering of the crushed, crispy potatoes. Finish with a final grating of pecorino (optional) enjoy!

Olive oil, for frying

1 tsp salt

800g chateaubriand

For the Creamed Spinach:

25g butter

1 small white onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

100ml milk

180 ml double cream

400g spinach

150g cream cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Black pepper to taste

Pecorino cheese, for grating

For the Crushed New Potatoes

300g baby new potatoes

Vegetable oil, for drizzling

Salt to taste