Beef Fillets with Wild Mushrooms and Armagnac Sauce

Impressive supper for two, ideal for special occasions. Fillet steak with a mushroom and Armagnac sauce on a bed of sliced potatoes.

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2 people

Based on a 2cm/¾inch thick steak

To Cook Rare: 2½ minutes on each side

To Cook Medium: 4 minutes on each side

To Cook Well Done: 6 minutes on each side

Average Cooking Time for 3lb: 0 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 lean fillet steaks
  • 25g unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped
  • 50g mushrooms (wild, if in season), halved
  • 3 tablespoons Armagnac or brandy
  • 300ml good, hot beef stock
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
  • Fresh redcurrants, to garnish

  • For the potato slices:

  • 375g small waxy potatoes, peeled and left whole
  • 25g unsalted butter, melted
  • 150ml good, hot vegetable stock

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C Fan, Gas Mark 6.
  2. To prepare the potato slices; boil the potatoes in salted water for 10-15 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. When cool enough to handle slice to the thickness of a pound coin and transfer to a large bowl.
  3. Add the melted butter, season and toss gently. On a foil lined shallow baking tray or roasting dish arrange four 8cm cakes in a single layer of overlapping slices. Pour over the stock and bake for 15-20 minutes or until tender and most of the stock has evaporated.
  4. Meanwhile, melt half of the remaining butter with the oil in a non-stick griddle or frying pan. Season the fillets and cook according to your preference. Remove, transfer to a warm plate, cover and set aside to rest.
  5. Add the shallots and mushrooms to the same pan. Add the Armagnac or brandy. Cook for a further minute then add the stock and thyme. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until reduced by half. Whisk the remaining butter into the sauce. Remove the thyme sprigs.
  6. Arrange the potato cakes on a warm plate, top with the beef and spoon over the sauce. Garnish with the redcurrants and serve with seasonal vegetables.

Tips:

If preferred use rib-eye steaks as an alternative to fillet steak but reduce the cooking time by about a minute on each side.