Kenny Atkinson's Winning Dish from Great British Menu
Salad of Aberdeen Angus beef, carrots, horseradish and Shetland Black potato crisps by Kenny Atkinson from Great British Menu
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the pickled baby carrots:
100ml/3½fl oz water
100ml/3½fl oz white wine
100ml/3½fl oz white wine vinegar
100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
40g/1½oz caster sugar
6 black peppercorns
1½ star anise
6 coriander seeds
6 baby carrots, peeled and sliced
1 orange, zest and juice only
1 sprig fresh tarragon
For the smoked marrowbone beignets:
4 beef marrowbones, cut into 7.5cm/3in pieces (ask your butcher to do this)
600g/1 1/3lb smoking chips
100g/4oz plain flour, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 free-range eggs, beaten
200g/7oz dried breadcrumbs
For the horseradish oil
100g/3½oz fresh horseradish, peeled and roughly chopped
400ml/14fl oz pomace olive oil (available from specialist suppliers)
1 lemon, zest only
1 sprig fresh thyme
For the beef fillet:
6g/¼oz whole cardamom pods
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp celery salt
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1.5kg/3lb beef fillet, centre cut, fat and sinew trimmed away
drizzle olive oil
smoked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the carrot purée
500g/1lb 4oz carrots, peeled, chopped
3 banana shallots, peeled, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
125g/5oz unsalted butter
600ml/1 pint water
75ml/3fl oz double cream
salt and freshly ground white pepper
For the mascarpone cream
6 tbsp horseradish cream (from a jar)
500g/1lb 2 oz mascarpone cheese
salt and freshly ground white pepper
lemon juice, to taste
For the potato crisps:
5 small Shetland Black potatoes
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
pinch salt
For the pickled mushrooms:
200g/7oz small chestnut or Paris Brown mushrooms
3 sprigs fresh thyme
50ml/2fl oz sherry vinegar
50ml/2fl oz olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
1 head curly endive lettuce, yellow hearts only
100g/3½oz fresh tarragon leaves
100g/3½oz micro rocket or cress
100g/3½oz pea shoots
1. For the pickled baby carrots, place all of the carrot ingredients into a non-reactive pan, except for the orange zest, juice and tarragon. Bring to a simmer, add the orange zest and juice, then season, to taste, with a pinch of salt.
2. Add the sliced carrots to the pickling liquid and simmer for one minute. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the carrots to cool in the pickling liquid overnight.
3. For the smoked marrowbone beignets, soak the marrowbones in a bowl of tepid water for two hours. Spoon out the marrow from the bones, keeping them as whole as possible, then leave to soak in a bowl of salted iced water overnight in the fridge.
4. Place the wood chippings into a smoking tray, lay the wire rack on top and cover with the lid. (CAUTION: smoking generates a lot of smoke. Make sure you work in a well-ventilated outdoor area). Light the chippings and when they begin to smoke, remove lid and place the marrow onto the wire rack. Cover with the lid and lightly smoke for 10-15 minutes, or until the marrow is soft to the touch but still holding its shape. Transfer the marrow onto a plate, cover with cling film and place into the fridge to firm up for at least one hour.
5. Dredge the chilled marrow in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess before dipping into the beaten egg. Coat the marrow in the breadcrumbs, patting to secure the breadcrumbs to the marrow. Shake off any extra breadcrumbs, then place onto a tray. Repeat the process with the remaining marrow, then chill in the fridge until needed.
6. For the horseradish oil, place the chopped horseradish into a small pan and cover with the pomace oil. Slowly bring to the simmer. Add the lemon zest and a sprig of thyme, then remove from the heat and leave in a warm area to infuse for two hours.
7. For the beef fillet, place the cardamom pods, cumin, celery salt, coriander seeds and black pepper into mini food processor and pulse until the spices are finely ground. Roll the beef fillets in the spices and leave to marinate for 1-1½ hours in the fridge, covered.
8. Carefully scrape the spices off the beef fillets. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a hot pan and sear the beef fillets on each side for 1-2 minutes, or until golden-brown but still rare in the middle. Wrap in cling film and press in the freezer between two trays weighed down with a heavy object.
9. For the carrot purée, place the carrots, shallots and garlic into a pan, add the butter and water and bring to the boil. Reduce the liquid until the carrots are soft and the water and butter have emulsified. Stir in the cream, bring back to the boil, then transfer to a food processor and blend to a smooth purée. Pass the purée through a fine sieve, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
10. For the mascarpone cream, blend the horseradish cream in a food processor until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve. Mix with the mascarpone in a bowl and season, to taste, with salt and ground white pepper. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, to taste, then place into the fridge to chill.
11. For the potato crisps, wash and dry the potatoes, then thinly slice the potatoes on a mandoline. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fat fryer until the oil temperature reaches 160C/325F on a digital thermometer (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Fry the potato slices for 1-2 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Season, to taste, with a pinch of salt.
12. Deep-fry the smoked marrow in the oil for 4-5 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
13. For the pickled mushrooms, dry fry the mushrooms in a hot pan with the thyme for 30 seconds, then add the sherry vinegar and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated. Add the olive oil, warm through, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
14. For the salad, rinse the endive lettuce in cold water, carefully drain and place onto a paper towel to dry. Remove from the paper and chill in the fridge (this will lightly crisp up the lettuce). Toss together with the tarragon leaves, micro rocket or cress and pea shoots in a bowl.
15. To serve, thinly slice the beef and arrange slices onto each serving plate. Brush the beef with a little horseradish oil and season with smoked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pipe a little carrot purée along each side of the beef and, using two warm teaspoons, make small quenelles of the horseradish cream and place on the left side of beef. Place the sliced pickled mushrooms on top of the beef and arrange the pickled carrots on top of the mushrooms. Dress the salad in a little horseradish oil and arrange over the carrots and beef. Arrange the deep-fried smoked marrow on the opposite side to the horseradish cream. Scatter over the Shetland Black potato crisps and serve.
