Chargrilled top rump with green bean salad and roast potatoes
Picanha is a cut of beef, taken from the top of the rump – it is also known as rump cap.
Ingredients
For the thyme and garlic roast potatoes
- 50ml/2fl oz vegetable oil
- 8 Maris Piper potatoes, par-boiled
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú semolina
- 100g/3½oz unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the beef picanha
- 1 beef top rump or picanha cut
- 2 heads confit garlic
- 2 confit banana shallots
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the green bean salad
- 200g/7oz French beans, trimmed
- 2 shallots, peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- moscatel vinegar, to taste
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú horseradish root, peeled and grated
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the roast potatoes, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 and heat the oil in a roasting tin in the oven. Toss the par-boiled potatoes in the semolina in a bowl. Carefully add to the hot oil in the roasting tin, baste and roast for 45–60 minutes until golden all over. Heat the butter in a frying pan with the garlic, thyme and bay. When the potatoes are cooked, season well with salt and pepper and spoon over the thyme butter.
To make the beef picanha, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Season the beef well with salt and pepper. Chargrill well all over – watch the fat side as it will burn quickly. When nicely coloured, transfer the beef to a roasting tin and add the confit garlic and shallots. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, or until medium–rare. Leave to rest before slicing.
To make the salad, blanch the beans in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 5–6 minutes, or until they lose their squeak. Transfer to a bowl with the shallots, tarragon, oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and finely grate over some horseradish.
To serve, place the beef slices on a serving platter with the salad and roast potatoes. Scatter over the confit garlic cloves and confit shallot petals.
