Wagyu ribeye

Wagyu ribeye, truffle and parmesan dauphinoise, crispy kale and sauce Marchand de Vin

They say nothing says romance like chocolate. But I say Wagyu. So how about Irish Wagyu fed on chocolate? Valentine's day cometh. Get ready to tug at your loved one's heartstrings with some spectacular cooking of super-indulgent ingredients: Unctuous ribeye, rich and decadent truffle dauphinoise, sticky red wine sauce. Love is certainly in the air. So is the smell of caramelised beef. And truffle. Please note, this recipe is for 4. Simply half the quantities for that romantic meal or, if you’re up to it, you get to go again. Just make sure you're not too stuffed for the postprandial canoodling.

Ingredients

Feeds 4

  • 2 Wagyu ribeyes, each weighing approx. 400g. You want nice thick steaks, 4-5cm. 

  • 6 sprigs thyme

  • 6 garlic cloves, bashed

  • Olive oil

  • 50g unsalted butter

  • 20g black truffle

MARCHAND DE VIN SAUCE

  • 2 banana shallots, finely diced 

  • 10g unsalted butter 

  • 350ml red wine, preferably Bordeaux

  • 200ml veal stock

  • 1 sprig thyme

DAUPHINOISE

  • 800g Yukon Gold potatoes, large

  • 300ml double cream

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked and chopped

  • 50g Parmesan, finely grated

  • 30g black truffle

KALE

  • 250g kale

  • 2tbs olive oil

Method

For an easy life, make the dauphinoise and sauce the day before. 

Uncover the ribeyes and return to the fridge overnight. This dries their surfaces and helps them form a crust in the pan.

DAUPHINOISE

1. Add the cream, garlic and thyme to a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce by half. 

2. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes, about 1-2mm. Use a mandoline if you have one. 

3. Add the potato slices to the cream and gently fold so all of the slices get a good coating. Season with salt, pepper and half the parmesan. 

4. Line a baking tin with baking parchment.

5. Build 2 layers of overlapping potato slices in the bottom of the tin. Ensure each slice is generously coached with the cream mixture. Using a microplane, grate some black truffle over the potato. Add another 2 layers of cream-covered potato slices on top. Grate more truffle. Repeat until all the potato slices have been used. Poor over any remaining cream. 

6. Sprinkle the remaining grated parmesan over the top. 

7. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour until golden brown and tender–a thin skewer should easily slide right through to the bottom. If it’s colouring too quickly, place foil over the top. When ready, remove from the oven and leave to cool.

8. After about 15 minutes cooling, gently press the dauphinoise. Cover the top with baking parchment then add a snuggly fitting piece of cardboard to help distribute the weight evenly. Carefully place some weights on top. When it has reached room temperature, pop the tin in the fridge with the weights.

9. The next day, lift the dauphinoise from the tin using the baking parchment and cut into portions. 

10. To serve, reheat the dauphinoise in a 140C oven for 15-20 minutes, until warmed through.

MARCHAND DE VIN SAUCE

1. Get a deep saucepan nice and hot. Add the wine; be careful it will splatter. Let the wine boil for a few minutes.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan. Once it’s foaming add the finely diced shallots. Sweat until soft and translucent.

3. Now pour the wine into the pan with the shallots. Reduce to a syrup.

4. When reduced, add the veal stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Skim frequently and reduce to a coating consistency. Pass through damp muslin cloth and return to a clean pan.

5. Season to taste. Add the thyme and leave to infuse. 

KALE

1. Pull the leaves away from the stems. Discard the stems. Wash the leaves well. Drain and pat dry.

2. Lay the leaves on top of one another and thinly slice into strips about 2-3mm wide.

3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. 

4. Add a handful of chopped kale to the hot oil. It will spit, so quickly cover the pan with a lid. Be careful. Shake the pan while holding the lid on to ensure all the kale is exposed to the hot oil. Remove the kale and drain on kitchen paper. Season lightly with salt. Do this in small batches otherwise the kale will steam rather than crisp. Add a splash more oil if necessary and let it get hot before continuing. 

5. Once all the kale is crispy. Give it a gentle shake in a sieve to encourage any remaining oil to fall away. Return to fresh kitchen paper. 

RIBEYE

1. Let the ribeyes come to room temperature an hour before cooking. 

2. Preheat the oven to 180C. 

3. Get a heavy-based ovenproof pan on a high heat for 10 minutes or so, until smoking. 

4. Just before cooking, rub the ribeyes with a little butter and season generously with salt. 

5. Add a small amount of olive oil to the pan and caramelise the ribeyes on all sides–fat-side first, 15 seconds per side, repeat.

Wagyu ribeye resting

6. Remove the ribeyes from the pan temporarily.

7. Turn the heat down to medium-high. Add the butter, garlic and thyme. When the butter is foaming, put the ribeyes back in the pan and baste, turning every 15 seconds. 

8. Move the pan to the oven. Every few minutes turn and baste the ribeyes for even cooking. 

9. Remove from the oven when the core temperature is around 46-48C. Rest on a warm rack for 15 minutes. Carryover cooking should take the ribeyes to 54C for medium-rare.

TO SERVE

1. While the ribeyes are resting, warm the plates.

2. Warm the sauce. 

3. Check the dauphinoise is warmed through. If necessary, brush the face of each portion with a little melted butter for a nice shine. 

4. Quickly warm the cripy kale in the oven–you don’t want it to brown.

5. Carve a block from the middle of the ribeye to match the width of the dauphinoise. Rest for 30 more seconds. What’s left of the ribeyes will get devoured, don’t worry.

6. To plate up, place a portion of the dauphinoise on the right with a slice of the ribeye immediately to its left. Add some crispy kale behind. Grate fresh truffle over the top. Spoon sauce to the front and left of the ribeye. Enjoy. 

Unctuous marbling through that Wagyu ribeye

Black truffle heaven

And let’s not forget the dreamy creamy, cheesy, truffly potato dauphinoise

Look at the sheen on that sauce. Marchand de Vin is made with a red wine and shallot reduction

Wagyu. Dauphinoise. So many decadents flavours and textures

Caramelised Wagyu ribeye. Crispy dauphinoise ends. What’s not to love?

MEAT, RECIPESimon Bakerbeef, ribeye, truffle, dauphinoise, wagyu, kale1 Comment