Steak with anchovy butter

Anchovies polarise people's palates. I have yet to hear of anyone who "doesn't mind" them. Like brussels sprouts and raw oysters, they are definitely in the love or hate category.
Yet, used as a seasoning agent rather than on their own, they are capable of elevating a dish from mundane to extraordinary. I like to cut slits in a leg of about-to-be-roasted lamb and stuff them with anchovies, slivers of garlic and mini-sprigs of rosemary. The tiny fish melt into the flesh, adding saltiness and an intriguing savoury note.
The best anchovies come from Spain. They are expensive, but they go a long way and are delicious enough to be eaten straight from the can on crackers or slices of toasted bread.
This week, I am using them to flavour butter that is then spread onto just-cooked steaks. The quantities given are enough for four with a little left over, but I suggest making up a larger quantity, rolling it in foil or cling film and storing it in the freezer.

4 sirloin, rump or porterhouse steaks, trimmed
1 Tbsp vegetable or pure olive oil
sea salt
50g butter at room temperature
2-3 anchovies, chopped
1 tsp chopped flatleaf parsley
half tsp cracked black pepper
juice of quarter lemon
Brush the steaks with oil, sprinkle with a little sea salt and put aside at room temperature, under a loose foil tent, for at least an hour.
Place the butter, anchovies, parsley and pepper in a mortar and pound to form a paste (or use a blender or food processor). Stir in the lemon juice. Spoon onto a piece of foil or cling-film and roll into a cylinder approximately 2cm in diameter, twisting the ends to make it firm. Refrigerate until required.
Heat a frying pan, ridged grill pan or barbecue and cook the steaks until done to your liking. Place on pre-warmed plates and drop a 5mm-thick disc of anchovy butter on top. Serve just as it begins to melt. Hand-cut fries and a tossed green salad are the classic accompaniments.

Wine match

Steak, ideally cooked no more than medium-rare, is a comfortable fit with most red wines but, when we add anchovies' saltiness to the equation, we need something with a trace of acid in its make-up. That leads us to cabernet sauvignon which, in our cool climate, often has a little zing on the finish.
Merlot is commonly used to soften this effect, as is the case in Huntaway Reserve Gisborne/Hawkes Bay Merlot/Cabernet 2007. Showing oak spice on the nose behind merlot's typical leather and cabernet's blackcurrant notes, this is an appealing wine with good fruit richness through the middle leading to the faintly lean finish that we need to counteract the anchovies. You should find it in the low to mid-$20s.