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a little bit Tom, a little bit April ... my steak salad

This recipe is a bit of an accident. It was borne out of a combination of a lack of the correct ingredients, Martha's dislike of anchovies and a little bit of creativity. It's a bit of a mash up of April Bloomfield's steak with watercress and chillies with Tom Kerridge's black and blue steak sandwich.

I made it for a family Sunday evening meal and it seemed to go down pretty well. It was also bloody nice the day after! It would be great in a sandwich.

We had a jacket potato alongside it

nb do not be put off by the amount of marinade, it makes a really nice crust and doesn't overwhelm ... although if you are of a delicate culinary disposition you may find it a bit 'robust' shall we say. Worth adjusting how much you put on according to the size and number of steaks obviously

ingredients

the marinade

1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground mace
1 tsp ground dried bay leaf (use a pestle and mortar for this)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
1 tbsp sea salt flakes
4 tbsp vegetable oil

the dressing

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 packed tsp finely grated lime zest
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus a few glugs
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2tsp finely grated garlic
Malden or another flaky sea salt

the rest

thick cut sirloin steak (we had 4 for 4 people ... we definitely could have got away with 3 though)
1 red chilli de-seeded and finely sliced
3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
12-16 cherry tomatoes, halved
a bag of peppery rocket
4 cos lettuces leaves separated

Method

Mix the ground coriander, chilli flakes, peppercorns, oregano, mace, ground bay leaf, garlic, salt and vegetable oil in a large bowl until well combined.
Place the steaks in the herb mixture, cover and set aside to marinate for as long as possible.

Whisk together the lime zest, juice, extra-virgin olive oil, mustard, garlic, and ½ tsp sea salt in a small bowl. Set aside the dressing.

Grill, steak turning it over once, until it’s charred and lovely looking: 5-7 minutes in total for medium rare.

My method was to cook it for a couple of minutes on one side so its nice and charred, turn it and then after 30 seconds put it into a reasonably hot oven for a further 5 minutes. I then rested it for 3 or 4 or even 5 mins if you can bear to wait that long.

(I cooked it on my fabulous new Le Creuset grill pan which is wonderfully non-stick, cooks beautifully evenly and is a perfect for hob-to-oven.)

Now spoon about 2 tsp of the dressing over each of the steaks.

Combine the shallots and tomatoes in a large bowl, pour in the rest of the dressing and give it a toss. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then add the rocket and lettuce and toss gently but well.

Cut the steak, into slices. Layer the salad and steak on a platter, ending with a small handful of the salad. Spoon over any juices from the carving board

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