Peppered eye fillet
MasterChef New Zealand - Peppered eye fillet with green beans, hand cut fries and béarnaise
4 potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2 cm-2cm thick chips
Olive oil
1 whole beef fillet, silver skin removed
Freshly cracked black pepper
Salt
Béarnaise sauce
225g unsalted Mainland butter, clarified
2 shallots, finely diced
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh tarragon
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
Pinch white pepper
2 Tbs water
3 egg yolks
Lemon juice, to taste
1 Tbs very finely chopped fresh tarragon
Small handful green beans, topped
1/2 garlic clove, finely diced
1 Preheat the oven to 220 C.
2 Cut the potatoes into large fries, heat oil in deep fryer until
hot enough to deep fry, par cook chips in batches, drain onto trays
lined with paper towel. When ready to serve, deep fry until golden
and crispy. Season with salt and pepper
3 For the béarnaise, to clarify butter, place Mainland
butter in a saucepan over a low heat and gently melt, take off heat
and carefully pour golden clear part into jug, leaving behind the
milky solids, cool a little.
Combine shallots, tarragon, vinegar, pepper and water in a small
saucepan and place over a low-medium heat to reduce to 1 tablespoon
of liquid. Strain liquid through a fine sieve.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil then reduce to a simmer, pour
the reduced liquid into a bowl that sits over the simmering
water.
Add egg yolks and whisk continuously over a medium heat until thick
and foamy, careful not to scramble.
Whisk in butter a little at a time, still over heat, when all the
butter is incorporated you should have a bowl of thick creamy
sauce. Stir through lemon juice to taste and chopped
tarragon.
4 For the beef, Place peppercorns in a mortar and using pestle
pound to crack.
Heat a frying pan over a high heat until hot. Divide the fillet
into 2 or 3 pieces.
5 Coat fillets with cracked pepper, season with salt.
6 Sear each fillet, turning to get dark char marks on all sides,
2-3 minutes in total.
7 Transfer to a tray and place in oven to roast. 12-16
minutes for medium rare or until cooked to your liking. (this is a
guideline depending on oven and fillet)
8 When ready remove from oven, let fillet rest for 10 minutes.
Slice.
9 For the Beans, Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil,
reduce to a simmer, blanch the green beans, drain, refresh into
cold iced water and set aside.
Heat an oiled frying pan over a medium heat; add garlic and
beans, sauté and season.
10 Place the green beans onto a plate, top with slices of beef with
the chips to the side, pour béarnaise into serving dish and
serve.
