Serves 3
Ingredients
  • + 2 Slabs                 of good Steak from the freezer
  • MARINADE
  • 4 tablespoons                              Olive Oil
  • 2 tablespoons                               fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4  teaspoon                                salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon                                 chilli seeds
  • 1                                                       clove of garlic, pressed
  • ONIONS
  • 2                            Sweet Maui onions
  • 1 tablespoon       butter
  • 1 teaspoon          Bisto gravy in 1/2 cup of hot water
  • +                            salt and pepper and chili or crushed garlic to taste
  • MASH
  • 2                              large Russett Potatoes, chopped into 6-8 even chucks
  • 1 tablespoon        butter
  • 1/2 cup                  cold milk
  • +                             salt to taste

Mix together marinade ingredients and place frozen slabs of steak on the marinade, and coat top and sides. Place dish in microwave to defrost (1 hour) . Then slice Steak in 1/4 ” strips, and return to the marinade, mixing them well, add a little more lemon juice to help mixing. While marinating, prepare the onions, and the mash

OR method 2) Slice meat when purchased, marinate for 10minutes, bag, and freeze. Defrost and leave at room temperature for at least one hour, for this I used 3/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, chili but  no garlic( Can be added later if I decide)

For the Onions: quarter the onions then slice evenly, add to a pan with the butter, and seasoning, and simmer very low, uncovered for 20-30 minutes. Prepare the bisto by adding adding the boiling water and set aside. Before serving, turn up the heat a little to brown (but not burn)

For the mash : Peel and cube the potoatoes into about 8 pieces, then rinse and drain, and put into a large glass pyrex bowl, cover completely with cling film and cook in the microwave for about 6 -8 minutes, then stir, and continue to microwave until the pototo is cooked, (about another 5 minutes). Add the butter, half of the milk, and whisk with electric mixer, adding more milk as required. Return to microwave and blast for 2 minutes, and when ready to serve blast again if it has cooled.

For the Steak: Best cooked when ready to serve.  Heat a skillet so that the meat will sizzle when you add it. Meanwhile lay the steak on paper towels and pat dry on top to remove excess marinade. Cook in batches to avoid moisture in the pan.  Cook to brown, turn only after  you see the blood coming out the top, then only sear the second side quickly. Place cooked meat on a warmed dish, and continue to cook the rest of the pieces until done. Finally add some cold water to the pan (about 1/4 cup) (watch out for steam) stir to make a nice sauce from the juices, and pour over meat while it stands for a minute, giving you time to add blast the mash for a minute, add the Bisto to the onions, and then serve.

NOTES : peas would have complemented this meal. I made this steak twice in three days, and the only difference was that I used some garlic and more lemon in the marinade the second time around, and the steak was even more like butter, so the quantities in this recipe  are for the second, tenderer version.