Beef carpaccio, crispy potatoes, horseradish mayonnaise
Ingredients
Salt and pepper
360g piece of beef fillet (preferably aged)
1tbs sunflower oil
80g fresh mayonnaise
10g fresh horseradish, or as much as you can take!
75g good frying potatoes such as small Yukon Gold or similar
Herb crumbs (dried focaccia with basil oil and sea salt)
Virgin rapeseed oil
Peppery salad cresses to garnish
Method Season and sear the beef fillet in a hot pan with a little sunflower oil for a few seconds and chill.
Micro plane the peeled horseradish, mix with the mayonnaise, season to your taste.
Wash and scrub the small potatoes, slice finely on a mandolin, place in a bowl of iced water to remove the starch for 15 mins, drain, pat dry and deep fry in oil at 160°C until lightly golden, drain on absorbent paper and season with a pinch of salt. Slice the beef with a sharp knife, lay between 2 sheets of cling film, roll across with a rolling pin to give a uniform even finish. I like to leave the beef a bit thicker than the typical Venetian style, so it has texture and you can really taste the quality of the prime ingredient.
Remove the top layer of the cling film, invert the beef on to your serving plate, remove the second layer of cling film, brush the beef with some virgin rapeseed oil and season with some sea salt and fresh milled pepper.
Pipe random bulbs of mayonnaise, scatter over the warm potato crisps, peppery cresses and herb crumbs.
This week's recipe was devised by Hayden Groves, executive chef, BaxterStorey
RECOMMENDED WINE
Beef carpaccio is a great classic and one of my all-time favourites.
For the accompanying wine, I would go for a fairly delicate red wine, but a bit spicy to go with the horseradish. It shouldn't have much oak, but balanced tannins and a good level of acidity for the texture of the dish.
Of the other grapes, Gamay, ideally from a cru in Beaujolais, is a good choice. Pick a recent vintage - this region has really made some fantastic advances in viticulture and winemaking and it shows - the quality has never been as good as now.
Another grape that is also getting better and better is Blaufrankisch from Austria, often compared to Gamay, with a bit more colour and body.
Xavier Rousset is co-owner of Texture and 28°-50°, in London