I know, this does not sound like or perhaps look like the meal of the week, but truth be told, for a busy full-timer opting to throw on the apron and whip around the kitchen after a long day in the office, rather than get take-out or dial dine-in, this actually was the meal of the week.
Restaurant or Home-cooked Meal?
Yeah, of course, it’s easy to pick an eatery, step out and indulge in whatever the menu or daily specials offer and be done with the dinner. And, many a time it is exactly what I do. But, for you my readers, it is NOT only or ALWAYS about fine dining, restaurants and scrutinising what is being served up, right. This is all about food, dining, wine and nice places to visit and stay at.
So, of course, the kitchen at home, and whatever inspiration (with what’s in the cupboard) can conjure up is just as relevant here – after all we cannot dine out every night of the week.
Why the Classics?
Being born with a passion for food I grew up in Germany, yet didn’t like most of the food. One much-loved go-to has always been ‘Bratkartoffeln’ – fried potatoes. Yum!
And, as it is still just a tad colder than the season suggests, a nice and hearty meal wasn’t going astray. Although I am not a huge meat eater, when I stopped off to grab a couple of essentials for said home kitchen, my eyes fell upon a nice strip of eye fillet. There was still some broccoli in the fridge from the farmers market and I always keep a few spuds in the cupboard, so there was a meal in the making.
Taping into Your Imagination
That was easy! Now, how to turn the just-bought lump of tender meat and ingredients awaiting me at home into the vision of that delicious meal that had popped into my mind and whetted my appetite so instantly? First, washing of hands, then the apron, some tunes for the background and all the right lighting. If I am gonna cook, I want to enjoy it.
I also wanted to get to the meal quickly, so timing my steps was as essential as getting on with it. It was not long before I had washed and cleaned the spuds, chopped them into chunky slices, roughly the same thickness and size and submerged them in some water with a good pinch of salt, at full heat. While they heated, I trimmed and washed the broccoli and readied it for a quick steam. It doesn’t take long so I left them to hit the heat last.
While the spuds started to bubble and boil away, I just want them par-cooked, enough to be getting softer but to still hold their form. With one eye on the spuds, now on medium heat, I sliced the eye fillet into four pieces, set them out on the big chopping board and gave them a nice little flattening with the side of the clever. Medallions is what I had seen in my mind and it took me back to my early restaurant days at ‘The Ratsherrn Restaurant’ in my birth town of Luebeck in Northern Germany. More on that another day.
From the Frontal Lobe into the Frying Pan
I was privy to be told about Soult, not long ago. A very cool range of organically flavoured salts that not only bring the good out in your cooking, but raise awareness of mental health and suicide prevention, so it does a lot of good. Read up about it here. My vision in mind, I went to create it…
A light rub with some of the Rosemary & Garlic Soult salt, a sprinkling of freshly cracked pepper and a pinch of Moroccan spice on either side of the raw, flattened, tender bits of meat, while the pan rises to the ideal heat with a generous helping of olive oil thinning to lightly cover the base.
At the right moment, the spuds got turned off, drained well and left to rest a second while the second frying pan took to the stove. I like using a good-sized pan with a good shot of oil, a lump of butter (it helps brown the potatoes) and in they went. A finely chopped onion, some fresh garlic, a few generous pinches of Soult and ample cracked pepper now mix in with the potato slices as I tossed them trying to brown them evenly to loose their pale colour. As they get to about three quarters being done, I stoke the heat under both, the pan for the meat and the steamer with the broccoli.
Then the meat hit the hot oil. Just as the broccoli started to dance in the heat it was soon enough, just as the thin eye fillets started to change colour, for a quick flip to seal the other side. Another toss of the ‘Bratkartoffeln’ – quickly some more of the sprinklings from before to ensure they all got some, and it’s time to turn the meat again, while the heat comes down.
The broccoli is just losing composure, but still stands strong and off goes the heat there. I like ’em with a little bite.
Time to Bring it Together
A couple of plain white plates come off the shelf, ready to welcome tonight’s home cooked dinner. The spuds get tossed once more, all the heat subsides. Dials are at zero. The meat is slightly seared, yet pink inside (so I think), the spuds are ample darkened, some areas lightly brown others crunchy, the odd bit here and there quite dark – just how I like ’em.
The meat comes out of the pan to settle nicely, two medallions each, leaning upon each other, while a good helping of the classic German spuds is ladled onto the plate next to them. The drained broccoli piles up next to them and the leftover garlic-infused oil is run over it.
A generous slither of garlic butter is laid upon the meat and melts as I crack a drop of the Yellowtail Cab Sav 2019 open and splash the first helping into a glass to let it breathe. Although it’s a home night, I stand wide-eyed looking over the plates spread out in front of me, licking my lips. (When I cook, I always cook an extra serving for Ron. Later-on!)
The Test is in the Cutting – Not the Pudding
I sit and eye off the creation for a moment, and then I cannot wait any longer. First the spuds, oh yes. And the Rosemary & Garlic Soult suits them perfectly. That hint of rosemary is perfect (albeit you can be quite generous with that on these kind of potatoes, even using fresh or dried leaves), plus the garlic and pepper.
Now, the meat. The sharp knife glides through it like butter revealing a subtle pink interior, juicy, and neither dry nor bloody. Yum! I heap up some broccoli drizzled with the oil and it goes down well too.
A sip of the red, which plants itself nicely over my tongue so that the next helping of the threesome that is forked into my mouth is really coming to life. The flavours lift off, yet accompany each other well. The tender meat, the rustic partly crunchy spuds and the firm but softened greens…
Too good! I would never dare to complain about a meal like this if I were in a restaurant, and given that it’s served at home I am humbled into silent indulgence.
Anyway, I have only myself to blame…
