Beef Rydberg with mustard crème fraiche

Ingredients

800g beef fillet (tail end), cut into 2cm dice

800g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm dice

3 medium onions, finely diced

4 egg yolks

Clarified butter, for frying

Sea salt

Ground black pepper

1 teaspoon caster sugar

For the mustard crème fraiche:

4 tablespoons crème fraiche

1 teaspoon grain mustard

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon caster sugar

Sea salt

Ground black pepper

Small bunch of chives, finely chopped

Method

For the mustard crème fraiche, whip the crème fraiche to soft peaks using an electric whisk, then flavour with the Dijon and grain mustard, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper, and stir in the chives.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Empty the potatoes into the boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until they’re just becoming tender – but not too soft. Drain off the water and refresh with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Heat a tablespoon of clarified butter in a saucepan over a low heat, add the diced onion and fry gently until soft, stirring regularly. Add the teaspoon of sugar, which will help the onions to caramelise and enhance the sweet flavour. Cook until nice and soft, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat two frying pans over a medium to high heat, and add a tablespoon of clarified butter to each one. Once hot, add the diced, par-cooked potatoes to one pan and season with salt. Into the other pan add the diced beef, making sure the heat is turned high. Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear for 5 minutes or so, turning it regularly, until it’s brown, and soft and springy to the touch. It should now be pink inside. If you like your meat well-done, continue to cook until it’s firmer to the touch. Transfer the meat to a warm plate and rest while the potatoes finish frying.

Fry the potatoes, stirring regularly until they are an even golden brown all over. This will take about 5-7 minutes, and they will be crisp on the outside and soft in the centre.

To serve, spoon a pile of the potatoes on one side of the plate, with the softened onions in the middle, and the seared beef fillet on the other side of the plate. Serve with a spoonful of the mustard crème fraiche. The Swedes serve this Swedish classic with a raw egg yolk, but that’s optional!

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