Beef Fillet with Beetroot Crisps

Having made Creamy Beetroot Risotto last night, I had some fresh beetroot left over. In an effort to avoid any waste, I decided to make this dish from the BBC GoodFood website. The original recipe serves 6, and as there were only two of us eating I reduced the amount of ingredients used. The recipe was easy to make, especially the beetroot crisps which I'd thought might be a bit tricky. The whole dish took just over one hour to make and was really tasty. I would definitely make the crisps again by themselves as they are a much healthier version to the ones I buy.
 

Ingredients (Serves 2):                                        

* 4 tbsp good olive oil
* 1 large fillet steak
* 5 shallots
* 1 tsp golden caster sugar
* 3/4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
* vegetable oil, for deep frying
* 2 large uncooked and unpeeled beetroot
* 1 bag of salad leaves
* Salt and Pepper for seasoning

Method
 Preheat the oven to fan 160C/180C/gas 4. Heat 1 tbsp of  olive oil in a frying pan, add the beef and sear on all sides until nicely browned. Drizzle some olive oil on an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top and add steak to dish. Cook for up to 50 mins in the oven depending on how well you like your steak done. I like mine medium-well so cooked it for approx 35 mins.

Peel the shallots, leaving the roots intact and cut in half lengthways. Heat another tbsp olive oil in the frying pan, add the shallots and gently cook for 10 minutes, turning until softened. Sprinkle with the caster sugar and cook for a further few minutes, then remove from the heat and tip into a bowl.

Add the balsamic vinegar (I used Modena which is thick and sweet) and remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and leave to cool.

Cut the beetroot to make four quarters. Using a potato peeler, peel the entire beetroot to make thin slices. A knife could also be used to finely slice the beetroot, but I found a peeler easier. Place the slices on a tray covered in kitchen paper and pat dry to remove excess juice.

Heat vegetable oil, about 2.5cm deep, in a wide pan or wok. Check the oil is hot enough by carefully dropping in a slice of beetroot - if it immediately rises to the surface covered with bubbles, the oil is ready. Fry the beetroot slices for approximately 5 minutes until they are curled and crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain well on a large plate lined with kitchen paper and leave to cool.

Cut the cold beef into thin slices using a very sharp, unserrated knife. Put the salad leaves in the bowl with the shallots, toss well so the balsamic vinegar and oil from the shallots is spread over the lettuce.

Spread the salad and shallots over a large serving platter or plate. Arrange the slices of beef on top of the leaves. Scatter the beetroot crisps over the dish and serve :)

Like Beetroot? You might also like this:

  

Creamy Beetroot Risotto