A delicious combination gets an elegant update. Grilled beef-fillet medallions and pink peppercorn, cognac roasted sweet potato, chilli and yoghurt is positively bursting with flavour. The perfect dinner!
Grilled beef-fillet medallions and pink peppercorn, cognac roasted sweet potato, chilli and yoghurt
Ingredients
Sauce
- 200g butter
- ½ onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 60ml (4 tbsp) pink peppercorns
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 4 tots (100ml) cognac/brandy
- 800ml fresh cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fillet
- 4 x 200g fillet pieces, cut into medallions
- 15ml (1 tbsp) English mustard
- 45ml (3 tbsp) beef-stock powder
- 30ml (2 tbsp) paprika
- fresh long rosemary stalk, stripped and chopped
- Ground sea salt and freshly ground
- Black pepper, to taste
Roasted sweet potato with chilli and yoghurt
- 6 medium-large orange or whiteskin-on sweet potatoes, quartered and cut in half (ensure each piece is roughly the same size)
- 180ml olive oil, to roast + 45ml
- (3 tbsp), to sprinkle
- Ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2,5ml (½ tsp) dried red chilli flakes, to taste
- 60ml (4 tbsp) fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 400g Greek yoghurt, to serve
- Edible flowers, to garnish
- Microherbs, to garnish
Instructions
For the sauce, place a deep saucepan over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Saute the onions, bay leaves and pink peppercorns. Use a meat mallet to slightly crush the peppercorns in the pan, releasing their flavour. Once the onions become translucent, add the garlic and immediately add the cognac or brandy. Flambe by either turning the pan slightly on a gas stove or ignite with a lighter, but be careful not to burn yourself! The flames will rise and then settle. Add the cream and season to taste. Allow the sauce to simmer over medium heat until it coats the back of a spoon without running off quickly, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. As the sauce rests, its flavours will intensify.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Prepare a griddle pan or braai fire to seal the meat. Rub the mustard over the fillet medallions thoroughly. Season each piece with all of the spices, herbs and cracked black pepper (but not the salt). Allow to stand, 15 minutes.
Place the sweet potato in a roasting dish and cover with the olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and chilli, to taste. Roast until the edges are crisp and turn a light golden colour, about 20 – 30 minutes, turning the sweet potatoes occasionally. Plate on a shallow serving dish.
Either on your braai grill or in a hot griddle pan with a light olive oil coating, sear the fillet medallions on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Turn once. This should leave a nice flame- or chargrilled flavour on each side. Remove from heat and place on an oven tray. Place the tray in the oven, 10 minutes. If the meat is well-aged and not too rare, leave in the oven, 8 minutes. Remove and allow to rest. Season each fillet to taste. Cover with foil, but leave 2 sides slightly open to not over-steam. The meat will be pink with no blood (medium).
To serve, either plate each fillet individually, or together in a stylish serving dish and drizzle with the sauce. Garnish with the rosemary. Serve the remaining sauce on the side. Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with the extra virgin olive oil, parsley and lemon zest and serve with the yoghurt alongside. Top with a dollop of yoghurt and garnish with edible flowers and microherbs.
