Easy Dinner Ideas - Meatloaf With Steak Sauce and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

When you get a hankering for a classic, traditional meal that doesn't take a lot of time to put together, a smart choice is to make a meatloaf with mashed potatoes dinner. This is an all-time favorite of many people because it's simple, yet tasty, comfort food.

Meatloaf has a long tradition of being an easy meal to prepare. Favorite meatloaf recipes have been passed along for generations. Still, many people think that making meatloaf is throwing together some ground beef and bread crumbs. Well, it is, but it's also much more than that.

Today's meatloaf is still simple to make, but the ingredients used to prepare it can vary from mild to spicy. Boring meatloaf is a thing of the past, and you can add different mixtures of ingredients to achieve bold and hearty flavors. These flavors are easy to achieve using ingredients you already have in your kitchen. And, if you need to run to the store to buy ingredients, they're easy to find.

Take, for instance, our Meatloaf with Steak Sauce recipe. This is a great recipe for meatloaf, because it uses hearty steak sauce (your choice) instead of the traditional ketchup. This automatically creates a deeper, richer flavor. The addition of onion and green pepper compliments the taste and texture. Of course, you can always add your own touches, but all in all, this recipe is probably one you'll use a lot.

=> Meatloaf with Steak Sauce

1-1/2 pounds of ground beef, 1-1/4 teaspoons salt, 1 egg, 1 dash black pepper, 1 cup soft bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/3 cup of steak sauce, 1 onion, chopped, 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8-1/2x4-1/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, salt, egg, black pepper and the bread crumbs. Add in the milk, 3 tablespoons of the steak sauce, onion and green pepper. Blend all of the ingredients until thoroughly mixed.

Place the meatloaf mixture into the loaf pan and gently press down. Brush the remaining steak sauce on top of the loaf.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the loaf is firm to the touch and is lightly browned. Take it out of the oven and let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Our Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes is the perfect dish to accompany this flavorful meatloaf. This is one of the most popular mashed potato flavors invented. Whoever thought of adding the strong tang of roasted garlic to the mellow ease of mashed potatoes is a genius!

I know that there are pre-mixed mashed potatoes that you can buy at your local grocery store, but there's something special about having freshly made mashed potatoes that can't be matched. If you have the time (and you do, while the meatloaf is baking), you can whip up this classic mashed potatoes recipe and win rave reviews at the dinner table.

=> Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2 pounds of baking potatoes, peeled and quartered, 1 head of roasted garlic, 1 cup of half-and-half cream, 2 tablespoons of butter, cut up, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.

In a large saucepan, add the potatoes then enough cold water to cover the potatoes completely, or by one inch. Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat. Cover the pan and cook the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain the potatoes using a colander.

Separate the roasted garlic cloves by squeezing them until they pop our of their skins. Add the garlic to a medium sized saucepan. Pour in the half-and-half cream and cook over medium heat until hot. Remove the pan from the heat. Mash up the garlic until it has kind of a smooth consistency.

Return the hot potatoes to the pan and mash with a potato masher until they are smooth. Add in half of the hot garlic mixture and butter. Keep mashing until all is well blended.

Add in the remaining garlic mixture, salt and the pepper. Mash potatoes until nice and fluffy.

=> Roasted Garlic

1 large head of garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Remove the loose paper outer skins of the garlic cloves. Do not peel. Cut off the very top of the head to expose the individual cloves.

Place cloves on a square of heavy duty aluminum foil. Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic. Wrap the garlic up inside of the foil.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the garlic is soft and a pale golden color. Let it cool before using.

Get more fantastic free recipes like these here: [http://www.best-meatloaf-recipes.com]

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What's For Dinner? Cooking Prime Rib

Prime rib is a treat that most of us enjoy when we go out to dinner at a nice steak house or fine dining restaurant. But did you know that prime rib is easy to cook yourself at home?

There is no reason you should deprive yourself of prime rib except on those occasions when you go out to dinner. Surprise your family by cooking your own dinner, just like you get in the restaurant.

Choosing the Meat

Never skimp on quality when you're buying meat. Go to the very best butcher shop you can afford for a prime rib roast. You will be charged by the pound for your roast, and you want to be cooking a roast that has at least three ribs attached. If you're cooking for a small family of two or three people, you're going to have some prime rib left over, so plan ahead on how you will use it up. Better yet, invite someone over for dinner and treat them to a lovely meal of home cooked prime rib.

Preparing the Meat

Leave the meat as it is when you bring it home from the butcher shop. You may be tempted to trim the fat, but when you are cooking prime rib, that fat will keep the meat moist and tender. Let each of your guests trim the fat off their own meat as they see fit, but don't trim the meat before you cook it.

Prepare the meat by salting any meat that is not protected by fat with large crystals or flakes of salt, such as kosher salt or margarita salt. Do not use iodized salt or sea salt, or the meat will just taste salty without being protected. If the salt is not sticking to the meat, moisten the meat with water or red wine.

Cooking Your Prime Rib Roast

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your prime rib roast on a rack in a roasting pan, stick a meat thermometer into it, put it in the oven, close the door and wait. Cooking takes a few hours at a minimum, so make sure you can spend a few hours at home while the roast cooks.

Cook the roast until the internal temperature reaches 110 degrees for medium rare roast beef to 120 at the max, for well done, almost charred meat. Anything cooler isn't safe to eat; anything hotter is too dry to enjoy.

Echo Wang is a contributing Editor for cooking-tips Find out which cooking products, treatments & solutions will continue to be beautiful at any time. Our site is dedicated to providing information about cooking well options so you can continue to do it perfect, if want to more information, please visit Cooking Prime Rib

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Cooking Dinner on Valentine’s Day

Many couples celebrate Valentine’s Day by going out to eat at a special restaurant. In fact so many couples do this on Valentine’s Day that getting a table at a highly sought after restaurant will likely involve making reservations well in advance and restaurants which do not take reservations may require long waits to be seated on Valentine’s Day. However, couples who are looking for a change of pace on Valentine’s Day can try cooking their own dinner on Valentine’s Day. This article will provide some basic tips for cooking dinner on Valentine’s Day and will also provide some ideas for making the activity of cooking more unique.





The most important tip we can offer for those who are planning to cook dinner on Valentine’s Day is to keep the meal simple. This does not mean you have to serve something boring. Rather it means you should plan on cooking a meal which is not overly complicated or difficult to make. This is important because if you plan a meal which is too difficult you may spend too much time in the kitchen working on the meal and not enough time enjoying the results of your efforts with your loved one.





Another great tip for cooking dinner on Valentine’s Day is to make sure the meal you select is one your partner will enjoy. When selecting the meal, consider your partners personal preferences as well as allergies or any dietary restrictions. This will help to ensure you are cooking a meal which both you and your partner can enjoy. For example a steak dinner may seem romantic but if your partner is a vegetarian she may not appreciate this type of meal.





If you are planning to cook dinner on Valentine’s Day, you should also purchase all the ingredients ahead of time. This will help to ensure you are not scrambling at the last minute to find a few hard to find ingredients. It will also help to alleviate a great deal of stress which could occur if you find yourself unable to find some of the key ingredients and having to make substitutions. However, if you plan ahead and buy all of your ingredients a day or two in advance, you do not have to worry about rushing around on Valentine’s Day to get everything ready and can spend more time preparing for the meal by prepping vegetables or making dishes ahead of time.





You might also want to consider asking your partner to help you cook the meal on Valentine’s Day. This is a fun way to make the act of cooking dinner a way for the two of you to spend some additional quality time together. If you are planning an elaborate meal, you and your partner can work together to make sure everything turns out great. Even if you are planning a simple meal, you will still enjoy the time you get to spend together and will likely enjoy the meal even more because you cooked it together.





One way to make cooking dinner together more like a date is to plan on taking a cooking class together on Valentine’s Day. You and your partner can sign up to take a class together where you will learn a new style of cooking. You will both learn something and you will get to spend some time together making the meal. Furthermore, you will likely be able to bring the meal you made home to share. This means you will not only have a great meal but you will have had a great time making the meal together. This is a great idea for couples who are on a first date because it can be a real ice breaker. During the class you will be involved with working together and following the instructions. Afterwards you will have a great deal to talk about because you will automatically have something in common. You can share your thoughts on the class or even stories about the mistakes you made while in class.

Ginger Malone is a contributing writer to www.redheadedtrip.com & www.onlybabyboomers.com

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How to Order an Excellent Steak Dinner With All the Trimmings

One of the most popular cuts of beef for a wonderful dining experience is a filet mignon that is cooked to perfection. This particular choice is always tender and buttery tasting and most people like it cooked to a rare to medium rare temperature to bring out the best flavor. Many restaurants specialize in signature meals that feature this fine cut of meat because it is so often preferred when diners want to enjoy a special occasion dinner. Another well-liked entree is New York strip steak and this also is a very tender piece of meat that benefits from not being overcooked but rather cooked just long enough to bring out the wonderful taste of the beef.

Restaurants that specialize in these particularly popular cuts of beef will often tempt a diner with all the trimmings that will highlight the star of the meal, the beef itself. Most people will opt to start the meal with a nice salad and that might include one of the following: Caesar salad, spinach salad or perhaps a house featured special green salad that includes a restaurant specialty dressing that is recommended.

Cook Steak

Side dishes very often include a baked potato with sour cream or in recent years a baked sweet potato (or yam) with lots of butter has become a popular choice. A twice-baked potato that has been baked, the flesh scooped out of the shell and mixed with sour cream and cheese and returned to the shell and baked again is always delicious. Part of the appeal of the twice-baked potato is enjoying something that would take a lot of time and energy to prepare at home without having to do the work. And, of course, there is always garlic mashed potatoes that will lend a down home full-flavored texture to the meal.

When it comes to the vegetable dishes there are so many to choose from and they seem to all pair nicely with beef. One of the most long established restaurants in Ohio is famous for offering stewed tomatoes with their most expensive prime cuts of meat. Buttered green beans, sauteed mushrooms in butter wine sauce and even tender carrots are being offered regularly for dinner and are becoming well-liked. Fried onions or onion straws are another unusual but tasty accompaniment to a main dish consisting of red meat. Asparagus or creamed spinach is two distinctively delicious vegetable dishes that are great with a prime cut of beef.

A full-bodied red is usually the type of wine chosen to accompany a nice piece of beef for dinner. Any good chophouse will feature many wines that are on the menu and will be happy to make a recommendation that will complement the fine flavor of the beef you have chosen. A Merlot is known as being a softer wine that is always a pleasure to drink and this makes it a top pick for diners who are enjoying a fine red meat dinner. Cabernet Sauvignon follows closely and this wine is perfect for red meat that is simply prepared. And finally, some people prefer a Shiraz that is a more hearty and spicy wine that is also good with red meat.

How to Order an Excellent Steak Dinner With All the Trimmings

Connor Sullivan recently bought some filet mignon steaks online for a large company cook out. He recently enjoyed a delicious New York strip steak at a famous restaurant in Chicago.

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The Perfect Steak Dinner - 3 Dishes (and One Drink) to Food Nirvana

Here are four items that I think make the perfect steak dinner. Do all four. You won't disagree with me. What are the four?

Spicy Smoked Steak

Cook Steak

Cheese Fries

Seasoned Green Beans

Homemade Milkshake

I'm getting hungry, so let's get started.

Spicy Smoked Steak

2 pounds of steak (round steak works fine)

MSG (sold as Accent in the seasoning section)

1 tablespoon of butter

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 eight ounce can of tomato sauce

1 large can mushrooms

1 banana pepper

2 bell green peppers

2 mid-sized onions

Some salt and pepper

Liquid smoke

Directions:

Tenderize the meat with a mallet and lightly coat the meat with the MSG powder. Take all the other ingredients, except the tomato sauce and put them on the top of the meat. It's important to keep it all on top.

Regarding the liquid smoke vary the amount you use to the amount of smokiness you want (don't overdo it, it's strong stuff). Pour the tomato sauce over the top of everything else.

Cover the steak snugly with foil. Poke holes in the foil. Cook it for half an hour at 400 degrees. It's a good idea to have a cookie sheet under the steak in the oven to catch drippings. Cover the cookie sheet with foil for easy clean up. Reduce heat to 200 degrees and continue cooking for an hour.

Cheesy Fries

3 potatoes (scrubbed and sliced in to French fry shapes)

3 tablespoons of melted butter

1/3 cup parmesan cheese (not fresh-grated)

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 chives

Directions:

Coat the fries in the butter. Mix the other ingredients together. Coat the fries in the mixture. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook them uncovered for forty minutes (less if you've thinly sliced them).

Seasoned Green Beans
10 fresh mushrooms

1 yellow onion

4 cups of frozen green beans

1 stick of butter

Mrs. Dash seasoning

Directions:

Chop the mushrooms and onions. Saute them until the onion is translucent. Heat the beans until they are tender. Drain the veggies and place them in a dish. Mix in the mushrooms, onion, butter, and Mrs. Dash.

Homemade Milkshake

4 cups of cold milk

4 cups of vanilla ice cream

Directions: Blend together in at high speed in a blender. Serves 4 to 5.

So there you have the perfect steak dinner. Personally, I think I'll fix this again tomorrow night. Good food is truly my weakness. Enjoy!

The Perfect Steak Dinner - 3 Dishes (and One Drink) to Food Nirvana

Nathan Pennington runs [http://www.meatlodge.com]. The Meat Lodge is devoted to all kinds of delicious meats and is full of recipes, short how-to's, and the like.

Click here now! ==> [http://www.meatlodge.com]

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Easy Dinner Recipes For Two

If you are looking for easy dinner recipes for two, you have come to the right place. This article will share with you a recipe that is simple to make, healthy and tastes great.

Sometimes it is difficult to find recipes that are easy to prepare and designed for two at the same time. Here is a quick recipe that takes only 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook. In addition, it is gluten-free.

Cook Steak

Rump steak with quick mushroom and red wine sauce for two:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sunflower oil 2 rump steaks (about 200g/8oz each) 140g mushrooms, quartered 2 thyme sprigs, leaves removed 150ml red wine 1 tbsp butter

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan. Season the steaks, then fry for 2-3 mins each side for medium rare, or cook more to your liking. Remove from the pan, then set aside to rest. Add the mushrooms and thyme leaves to the pan, then cook for a couple of mins until softened and golden. Pour in the wine and bubble until syrupy, then turn off the heat and stir in the butter. Season. Serve the steaks with the mushroom sauce poured over, along with creamy mash and some crunchy spring greens.

Try:

Steak with creamy mushrooms

If you prefer a creamy sauce, try this: Cook steak as before, then set aside. Fry the mushrooms and thyme for 2 mins. Stir in 100ml double cream and 1 tsp wholegrain mustard. Bubble for 1 min, season, then spoon over the steaks.

Nutrition per serving:

500 kcalories, protein 43g, carbohydrate 4g, fat 32 g, saturated fat 13g, fibre 1g, sugar 4g, salt 0.42 g

Where To Find Easy Dinner Recipes For Two

There are many places on the internet where you can find different recipes. However, there are relatively less websites that offer recipes designed for two. I have looked around and found some sites that provide many easy and great dinner recipes if you are cooking for two. For example, allrecipes.com and eatingwell.com both offer a large variety of dinner recipes for two.

Easy Dinner Recipes For Two

Here is another great website where you can find FREE, Secret Restaurant Recipes from your favorite restaurants and more healthy, delicious and easy Recipes For Two. Visit us at easydinnerrecipesfortwo.net.

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A Quick Dinner Recipe, Chinese Style Pepper Steak

On those busy nights when dinner seems like an obstacle to overcome, you need some good quick dinner recipe ideas that take 20 minutes and taste like a million. What could be easier than a stir fry? A little beef, onion, and pepper stir fried with a few seasonings, and you have one of those sure to please favorites. Once you have the vegetables and meat sliced, everything goes very quickly. A couple of quick stirs and 15 minutes of simmering.

Remember to start the rice before cooking the Pepper Steak. The rice will take a little longer and should be started first. Serve with a frozen egg roll if you like, or perhaps some egg drop soup. Bring out the chopsticks and have a little fun.

Cook Steak

Chinese Style Pepper Steak

2 pounds boneless top round steak

¼ cup vegetable oil, or less as needed

3 medium size green peppers, sliced

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1/3 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, mince

1 cup beef broth

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup water

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Hot cooked rice

Slice the steak thinly across the grain. This is easier if you partially freeze the steak.Brown the steak in a little hot oil in a large skillet. Add the green peppers, celery, onion, garlic, broth, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables and beef are done.Combine soy sauce, water and cornstarch; stir well. Add to meat mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Serve over rice, Serves 8. Chopsticks are optional.

A Quick Dinner Recipe, Chinese Style Pepper Steak

Diane Watkins is a busy mother and southern style cook. She enjoys cooking, teaching, and writing about good food and family. For more information on southern cooking and recipes visit her website http://www.easysoutherncooking.com

Do you need more quick dinner recipe and menu ideas? Sign up for our newsletter at http://easysoutherncooking.com/easy-quick.html for recipe and menus delivered to your email regularly.

Are you interested in learning more about cooking techniques and recipes. We have just added video lessons to our website. Come take a preview at http://easysoutherncooking.com/video-lessons.html and join our newsletter list for information about upcoming lessons.

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A Quick Dinner Recipe, Chinese Style Pepper Steak

On those busy nights when dinner seems like an obstacle to overcome, you need some good quick dinner recipe ideas that take 20 minutes and taste like a million. What could be easier than a stir fry? A little beef, onion, and pepper stir fried with a few seasonings, and you have one of those sure to please favorites. Once you have the vegetables and meat sliced, everything goes very quickly. A couple of quick stirs and 15 minutes of simmering.

Remember to start the rice before cooking the Pepper Steak. The rice will take a little longer and should be started first. Serve with a frozen egg roll if you like, or perhaps some egg drop soup. Bring out the chopsticks and have a little fun.

Chinese Style Pepper Steak

2 pounds boneless top round steak

¼ cup vegetable oil, or less as needed

3 medium size green peppers, sliced

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1/3 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, mince

1 cup beef broth

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup water

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Hot cooked rice

Slice the steak thinly across the grain. This is easier if you partially freeze the steak.
Brown the steak in a little hot oil in a large skillet.
Add the green peppers, celery, onion, garlic, broth, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables and beef are done.
Combine soy sauce, water and cornstarch; stir well. Add to meat mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
Serve over rice, Serves 8. Chopsticks are optional.

Diane Watkins is a busy mother and southern style cook. She enjoys cooking, teaching, and writing about good food and family. For more information on southern cooking and recipes visit her website http://www.easysoutherncooking.com

Do you need more quick dinner recipe and menu ideas? Sign up for our newsletter at http://easysoutherncooking.com/easy-quick.html for recipe and menus delivered to your email regularly.

Are you interested in learning more about cooking techniques and recipes. We have just added video lessons to our website. Come take a preview at http://easysoutherncooking.com/video-lessons.html and join our newsletter list for information about upcoming lessons.

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Romantic Dinner For Two - Easy to Cook and Lovely to Eat

Spring is here and love is in the air, so why not treat your beloved to a romantic dinner a deux? After all, there's no finer way to your loved one's heart than through their stomach. I'm thinking along the lines of 70's retro 'Surf & Turf.' The good news is this easy 3 course dinner won't break the bank or require you to spend hours at the stove. Apart from the steak, everything else can be made in advance, so if you want to up the anti and impress your sweetheart, be sure to make the bearnaise sauce to serve alongside the steak. So for starters it's prawn cocktail, main course is the perfect steak served with triple cooked french fries & bearnaise sauce followed by a dessert of 'petit pots au chocolate.' More on that later...

Here's Your Cooking Order To Prevent Panic!

Morning or Day Before:

Make the dessert & refrigerate

Prep the French fries up to stage 3 & refrigerate

Evening:

Bring the steak up to room temperature - 1 hr ahead

Make up the prawn cocktails & refrigerate

Make the bearnaise sauce and keep warm - ½ hour before serving

Cook the steaks and heat the oil for the final chip frying stage

Fry off the chips for 5 minutes while the steaks are resting

This chocolate dessert is so unbelievably easy to make yet decadently rich with a creamy silky texture. Who needs complicated when love is in the air?

Let's Start With Dessert...

Petit Pots au Chocolate

Ingredients:

4 oz dark chocolate minimum 80% cocoa

6 fl oz or ¾ cup half and half cream

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp Baileys liqueur

Here's What You Do:

Break the chocolate into tiny pieces (a food processor is best as it reduces the chocolate to a powder), but you could put it in a bag and bash with a rolling pin). The point is it make the pieces small so the melt faster. Heat the single cream and sugar in the microwave (or on the stove) until it just reaches boiling.

Tip the chocolate into the hot cream and stir until melted, it will immediately thicken. Add the Baileys liqueur and stir well. Pour into two small dishes and refrigerate for several hours. There! Told you it was easy!!!

Now for the prawn cocktail.

A cool, spicy & succulent starter. What's not to like? To get the perfect combo you want one third each of prawns, lettuce and sauce.

Ingredients:

½ lb small cooked Candian prawns

4 Romaine lettuce leaves

6 baby cherry tomatoes

½ lemon

2 level tbsp good quality mayonnaise

1 level tbsp ketchup

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Pinch cayenne pepper

Here's What You Do:

Tip the prawns into a sieve and leave to drain. Shred the lettuce leaves and put aside. Slice or quarter the cherry tomatoes (a serrated knife is best for this) and put with the lettuce. Mix the mayonnaise, ketchup and Dijon together in the bowl. Now zip it up with a dash of cayenne and a squeeze of lemon - not too much - about 1 tbsp otherwise the sauce will be too runny. Stir in the prawns, lettuce and tomato coating them well with the sauce. Spoon into sundae glasses, decorate with a slice of lemon and refrigerate until needed. Now for the French fries. Lets be honest, you can't beat homemade fries. Triple cooked are super crispy and the best in the business.

Ingredients:3 large floury potatoes

Sea salt

1½ pints vegetable or sunflower oil

Here's What You Do:Peel the potatoes then trim off their rounded sides and square them up. Cut into ½ inch thick slices lengthways and then again into strips, giving you fries.

Place the fries in a saucepan, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Next, rinse them thoroughly, cover with fresh cold water and add a dash of salt. Place over a high heat and when they come up to the boil, cook for 5- 7 minutes. Pierce the centre with a knife, they want to be softish but not fully cooked.

Drain into a sieve and run under the cold tap to stop further cooking. Pat dry with a cloth then arrange on a tray lined with absorbent kitchen paper and stick in the freezer for 30 minutes. After 25 minutes, fill a saucepan a third full of oil and place on a medium heat. Now test cook a French fry first. The oil is ready when it surrounds the French fry with 100's of tiny bubbles. Don't overcrowd the pan or the temperature will drop. Otherwise fry them in small batches, for approx 3-4 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon when they're just starting to colour. Drain onto fresh sheets of absorbent kitchen paper and allow to cool for 10 minutes before returning to the freezer for half an hour. (You can prepare the French fries up to this stage and keep refrigerated for 24 hours if necessary.

The Next Night

Take the steaks out the refrigerator an hour before you plan to sit and eat.

Make up the prawn cocktail.

Now start the bearnaise sauce.

This classic French sauce is the perfect companion to steak and not bad with chicken, fish and vegetables either. It's made the same way as a hollandaise, but don't let that put you off because this recipe is pretty much bomb proof! All that's required is a little patience and some low heat!

Ingredients:

2 medium egg yolks - room temp

1½ sticks unsalted butter

1 shallot or a few onion slices

large handful fresh tarragon

1 tsp black peppercorns

4 tbsp white wine vinegar

salt

Here's What You Do:

Melt the butter over a low heat or in the microwave until it becomes liquid. Remove from the heat and let it settle, then strain off the clear golden liquid into one of the cups and put aside. Discard the milky sediment. Finely chop the tarragon leaves, put aside 1½ tbsp and tip the remainder into a small saucepan. Add the vinegar, peppercorns, onion or shallot and boil over a high heat for approx 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to a tablespoon, then pour through a tea strainer into the second cup and put it aside.

One third fill a saucepan with hot water and place over a high heat. Separate the eggs and tip the yolks into the bowl. Add the vinegar reduction and place over the saucepan of water. Immediately reduce the temperature to a low heat. Whisk the yolks until they become very light and fluffy - approx 5 minutes then turn off the heat and continue whisking, keeping the bowl over the saucepan of hot water.

Next, very slowly start dripping the liquid butter onto the yolks, whisk continuously until smooth. Continue adding the butter in this way - little by little and all the while whisking briskly until the sauce is thick - approx 10 minutes. Don't worry if the sauce seems thin to begin with, it will gradually thicken up as you add the butter. Keep the sauce warm over a pan of hot water but off the heat, otherwise it will split. If the sauce gets too thick add a splash of hot water.

Put two plates in a low oven to warm.

Time To Cook The Steak!

Place a dry frying pan over a high heat until it's searing hot (you want to hear a 'sizzle' when the steak makes contact with the pan. If it doesn't the pan isn't hot enough). Rub the steaks generously with oil & season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook the steaks in a dry pan without oil or butter

Turn down the heat slightly once your steaks are seared on both sides.

Guide To Cooking Times

The times given are a guide only and refer to a sirloin steak approximately 1? thick. Different cuts or thicker steaks will require longer cooking times and thinner steaks less. Remember to take your steaks off the heat BEFORE they are ready, as they will carry on cooking. The table below gives you rough cooking times.

1? Thick steak

Cooking Time

(per side)

Resting

Time

Total Cooking

Time

Rare

2 minutes

4 minutes

8 minutes

Medium

3 minutes

4 minutes

10 minutes

Well Done

4 minutes

2 minutes

10 minutes

While your steaks are cooking remember to reheat the oil for your French Fries. It must be very hot with a slight haze coming off it. Once the oil is hot and the steaks are resting, submerge the French fries into the hot fat and fry until crisp and golden - approx 5 minutes, then drain onto absorbent kitchen towel and season with a grinding of sea salt. Assemble your steak, French fries and béarnaise sauce on a warm plate and enjoy.!

Uma Wylde is a natural born cook. She specialises in creating stunning tastes. If you're having trouble getting food to taste the way you want it to or are just bored cooking the same old things, try following some of her carefully explained recipes at http://www.umawylde.com. Unlike traditional recipes, which often leave you dangling, hers show you how to bring the whole meal together, so everything turns out perfectly.

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