Ingredients
For the pommes boulangère
25g/1oz unsalted butter
1kg/2lb 3¼oz Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
300ml/10½fl oz chicken stock, hot
For the roasted shallots
10 shallots, peeled and separated into cloves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
dash olive oil
For the green beans
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 free-range egg yolk
1 tsp lemon juice
400ml/14¼fl oz olive oil
pinch sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g/7¼oz green beans, trimmed
For the green pepper sauce
500ml/18fl oz good-quality beef stock
375ml/13fl oz red wine
2 tbsp soft green peppercorns
150ml/5½fl oz double cream
50g/1oz cold unsalted butter, cubed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the steaks
4 x 170g/6oz entrecôte beef steaks
dash olive oil
25g/1oz unsalted butter
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4.
2. For the pommes boulangère, butter an ovenproof dish and arrange the potatoes and onions in the dish in layers. Dot with butter and season each layer with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Finish with a layer of potatoes, making a neat overlapping pattern.
3. Pour over the hot stock and dot with the remaining butter. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for one hour. Remove the foil and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden-brown.
4. Meanwhile, for the roasted shallots, place the shallots on a baking tray, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Set to one side and keep warm.
5. For the beans, whisk together the Dijon mustard, egg yolk and lemon juice in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, adding a little at a time to prevent the mixture from curdling. Stir in a pinch of sugar and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Blanch the green beans in a pan of boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes, drain and mix the beans with the mustard dressing just before serving.
7. To make the green pepper sauce, simmer the stock and wine together in a pan until the volume of liquid has reduced by one-third.
8. Stir in the peppercorns and cream. Whisk in the cubes of butter, a little at a time, to make a smooth thickened sauce. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and keep warm.
9. For the steaks, heat a griddle pan or frying pan until smoking hot. Rub the steaks with olive oil and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side (or a little longer for medium to well done steaks). Add the butter to the pan and allow it to melt.
10. Rest the meat in a warm place for five minutes. Serve a steak for each person, along with the potatoes, green beans, shallots and green pepper sauce, drizzled with the melted butter.
