Skirt steak with creole sauce, fried potatoes and salad

Tam West

The appetite for beef in Argentina is heroic, I have never seen such huge portions. At La Brigada restaurant I ordered skirt steak or entrana, which received a nod of approval from our Argentinian guide. Skirt steak is one of the least expensive cuts of beef but has a great flavour. It needs to be fried hot and fast or braised long and slow or it will be tough. The former is what is required here.

Creole sauce

4 Tbsp	Extra virgin olive oil
1	Red onion
2 cloves	Garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp	Dried oregano
1 tsp	Ground cumin
2 tsp	Sweet smoked paprika
1	Bay leaf
100 ml	Red wine
1 can	Chopped tomatoes, in juice, approx 400g
2 tsp	Sugar
2 Tbsp	Red wine vinegar

Salad

1 medium	Carrot, thinly sliced into ribbons with a potato peeler
1	Red onion, thinly sliced
½ tsp	Salt
3 Tbsp	White wine vinegar
4 Tbsp	Extra virgin olive oil
250 g	Cherry tomatoes, multi-coloured, halved
1 small	Raddichio, thinly sliced
1 handful	Fresh parsley, a small one, sprigs only

Steak and potatoes

4 Tbsp	Extra virgin olive oil
1 kg	Agria potato, peeled and diced 2cm
750 g	Skirt steaks, trimmed of fat and sinew, gently beaten with a rolling pin or meat mallet until about 1cm thick all over (Main)

Directions

Creole sauce

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over moderate heat and add the onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika and bay leaf. Fry gently, without browning for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft.
2. Turn the heat up and add the wine, let it bubble for 30 seconds then add the tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. Bring to the boil and simmer 15 minutes or until thick.
3. Taste, re-season with salt if necessary and with freshly ground black pepper. Remove from the heat and reserve.

Salad

Put the carrot, onion, salt, vinegar and oil into a bowl. Mix well and reserve for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and radicchio and parsley and mix well, season with freshly ground black pepper and serve.

Steak and potatoes

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over moderate heat. Add the potatoes and season with salt. Fry gently, stirring frequently and scraping the fried bits off the bottom of the pan, for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and browned.
2. When the potatoes are almost ready, heat a ridged grill pan over high heat. Rub the remaining tablespoon of oil over the steak and season well with salt and pepper.
3. Place the steak in the pan and fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes each side (you may need to cut the steak in half and do this in 2 batches, depending on the size of your frying pan).
4. Remove steak from the pan and rest for 5 minutes, loosely covered with foil, in a warm place.
5. Slice the steak thinly across the grain of the meat and serve with the sauce, potatoes and salad.

Check out more of Ray's recipes from Argentina

• Silverbeet and prawn fritters with chimichurri
• Rice pudding with pears, dulce de leche and almond crumbs