Neven Maguire: Beef up your love-ly meal

Valentine’s Day comes but once a year. Amelda and I have now been married for 18 years, and I am sure that you if asked, she would tell you that every day is like Valentine’s Day in our house.

Instead of that one romantic evening on 14 February, we actually see a lot of couples coming to MacNean to stay for the entire weekend. We also see a lot of tables booked for four people, with two couples taking a short weekend holiday together. However it’s done, it’s nice to be able to celebrate and enjoy a good meal with your loved one or some friends.

As I am writing this, we are still recovering somewhat from storm Éowyn. We closed the restaurant the Thursday before the storm hit – with a red alert, we just didn’t want to see any of our staff having to travel the roads. When things like this happen, we phone each of our customers who have bookings. Everyone always understands, thankfully. On the Friday, we phoned around again and people were once again happy to travel.

Over the weekend, we had guests from Wexford, Dublin, Galway and Belfast. Though our power had gone out from the storm, we have a very good generator which can keep the restaurant running and provide electricity to 20 bedrooms. On Saturday night, during dinner service, the lights came back on and there was a big cheer from everyone. I have to say well done to ESB and thank you to the crews who were out working in some really rough conditions.

It was on with the show. I couldn’t imagine a MacNean House menu without some kind of beef offering – our guests love it and it always flies out of the kitchen. We get our beef from John Stone in Ballymahon; it has great flavour and is such a consistent product. If you’re buying beef in the supermarket, Dunnes Stores Simply Better Irish Angus beef comes from Jennings in Ballinrobe – also a very flavourful, consistent product line.

Ireland is now the only country in the world with PGI status grass-fed beef and the status is well-deserved. Congratulations to our fantastic farmers all over the island of Ireland, who take such care in producing our beef.

Today’s recipe is a classic steak with peppercorn sauce – an ideal Valentine’s Day dinner if you’re planning to stay in. For this recipe, I am using delicious Irish striploin steak, but you can also use ribeye or fillet steak, if you prefer.

I am always asked how to cook the perfect steak. Like anything, it takes a bit of practice, but it’s not as difficult as it might seem. Firstly, I always buy steak from my local butcher – they can slice it to your desired thickness and give you recommendations depending on how you want to cook it.

I love to see a steak properly cooked and served nicely pink, juicy and tender. It’s a beautiful thing.

Of course, steak is a treat, which is why it’s so nice to serve on Valentine’s Day. The rustic potatoes included with this recipe cook quickly and are really tasty.

Irish Challenger is a potato that I first came across last year. They are dry, floury and perfect for this recipe as they crisp up nicely when roasted.

Of course, no Valentine’s Day meal is complete without a chocolatey dessert and this chocolate mousse recipe is a real crowd pleaser. I learned how to make it when I was working in the Michelin starred restaurant, Roscoff, with chef Paul Rankin in Belfast. Years later, I am still making it. We teach this recipe in our cookery school and it always goes down a treat with our guests.

Coole Swan cream liqeur, which is made just down the road in Co Cavan, is the perfect addition to the smooth chocolate. The mousse is light but still feels indulgent. It’s also lovely served with some sliced banana.

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

4–6 150–175g striploin steaks, well-trimmed and at room temperature

Rapeseed oil, for brushing

1 tbsp butter

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the rustic potato slices:

675g potatoes, scraped or scrubbed clean

1 fresh rosemary sprig, broken into tiny sprigs

3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed (skin still on)

3 tbsp rapeseed oil

For the peppercorn sauce:

1 tbsp butter

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

450ml beef stock (from a cube is fine)

2 tsp crushed black peppercorns

4 tbsp cream

2 tbsp Cognac

To serve:

Sautéed Savoy cabbage

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and then set it aside.

2 Cut the potatoes into slices approximately 5mm thick and arrange in a single layer on the lined baking tray.

3 Add the rosemary and garlic. Season generously with salt, drizzle over the oil and toss until evenly coated.

4 Roast in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes, until cooked through and lightly golden, turning once or twice.

5 Meanwhile, make the peppercorn sauce: melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 3–4 minutes, until softened but not coloured.

6 Stir in the stock and cook for 10–15 minutes, until reduced by half.

7 Strain the sauce into a clean pan, discarding the shallots and garlic.

8 Add the crushed peppercorns, cream and Cognac and season with salt. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened. Keep warm.

9 Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Brush the steaks with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare or until cooked to your liking, adding the butter to the pan toward the end of cooking.

10 Serve the steaks with sautéed Savoy cabbage, potato slices and peppercorn sauce.

Ingredients: Serves 4

225g plain chocolate, broken into squares (minimum 55% cocoa solids)

3 eggs

2 tbsp Coole Swan Irish cream liqueur (or you can use Grand Marnier, whiskey, Malibu or crème de menthe)

300ml cream

A selection of berries (such as raspberries, strawberries and pomegranate seeds)

A few sprigs of mint

Method

1 Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.

2 Whisk the eggs with the liqueur in a separate bowl over a pan of simmering water until double in size. It is very important to ensure the water does not boil or it will cook the eggs.

3 Fold the melted chocolate into the egg mixture, then leave to cool for 5 minutes.

4 Whisk the cream in a separate bowl and fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour the mousse into stemmed glasses or teacups using a spatula.

5 Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 2–3 hours or overnight.

6 Before serving, remove the cling film and add the fresh berries over the top, with an optional sprig of mint.

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