Rib-eye Steaks with Dressed Green Leaves, Stilton and Walnuts

 No need to worry about the risks of cooking steaks if you use this oven method – which produces perfect medium rare steaks – to eat with a well- dressed salad. If you want to bulk up this meal, Sherbhert’s Polenta with Two Cheeses, Mushrooms and Thyme would be good – you would need to cook it for 30 minutes in the 100c oven rather than the suggested 15 to 20 minutes at 200c given in the recipe – so it should it should be ready just as the steak is done. 

Ideally you need to use a sturdy cast iron griddle or heavy-duty frying pan to sear the steaks.

For 4

4 pasture fed rib-eye steaks – about 4cm thick 

2-3 tsp of salt flakes

4 sprigs of rosemary 

For the dressing

3 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

1 tbsp raspberry or blackberry vinegar if you have it, or use 1 tbsp of white or red wine or sherry vinegars and a tsp of runny honey

For the salad

Watercress or other winter salad leaves, washed and dried – enough for 4 generous portions

About 16 freshly cracked walnuts or 8 pickled walnuts, each cut into 4 slices

180g stilton cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 100c and also, on the hob, heat up a griddle or heavy-duty frying pan.

When the griddle or other pan is very hot, add the steaks – depending on the size of the pan, you may need to deal with them 1 or 2 at a time – the steaks need plenty of room in the pan to brown – overcrowding produces steam which make the meat grey rather than brown. Sear them briefly on each side just long enough for them to get a good colour.

When all the steaks have been seared, put them on a baking tray, scatter with the salt flakes and rosemary sprigs and put them in the preheated oven for up to 30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes for doneness. Use a sharp knife to make a small cut in the thickest part of one of the steaks – it should be dark pink in colour but not bloody – cook for 5 or 10 minutes more if you like, but they are unlikely to need more than 30 minutes. 

While the steaks are cooking, whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or jar. Put the leaves in a roomy bowl, add the dressing and toss the whole lot together gently so that the greens are evenly coated and glossy with the dressing. Clean hands are the best tools for this. Add the walnuts and stilton and gently stir them through the leaves with a fork. 

Plate up each steak with a pile of the salad and, if using, a slice of the polenta and mushrooms – it’s best to use plates at room temperature.