Steak & chips with peppercorn sauce

• 1kgPotatoes
• 3 tbspVegetable oil
• 4Rump steaks
• ½Brown onion
• 20gButter
• 1 cubeBeef stock cube, in 150ml water
• 200mlDouble cream
• 1 tspDijon mustard
• 60gRocket

Plus salt, pepper and water.

Method

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan). Cut the potatoes, skin on, into chunky 1cm chips. Rinse, dry well on a clean tea towel and toss with 2 tbsp of the oil and a good pinch of salt. Spread out over two trays.

2. 2

   Roast for 20 minutes.

   20 min, mostly hands-off

3. 3

   Turn the chips and swap the trays around, then roast for 15 to 20 minutes more, until golden and crisp.

   20 min, mostly hands-off

4. 4

   Meanwhile, take the steaks out of the fridge. Coarsely crush 2 tsp black peppercorns with a pestle and mortar or the base of a heavy pan, and finely chop the onion.

5. 5

   Pat the steaks dry and season with salt. Heat the rest of the oil in a large heavy frying pan until smoking hot and cook the steaks two at a time for 2 to 3 minutes a side for medium rare, adding the butter for the last minute and spooning it over. Rest on a warm plate.

6. 6

   Lower the heat and fry the onion in the steak pan for 2 minutes. Add the crushed pepper for 30 seconds, then the stock cube crumbled into 150ml boiling water, and bubble for 2 minutes, scraping up the brown bits, until reduced by half. Stir in the cream and dijon and simmer for 3 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the steak resting juices.

7. 7

   Serve the steaks with the chips and a pile of rocket, with the sauce poured over or in a jug.