J Baker's Blackened Hanger Steaks & Roast Shallots

  • Cook time
  • Difficulty medium
  • Serves 2
hanger steak blackened

Ingredients

  • 2 x Native Breed Hanger Steaks
  • 50ml Molasses
  • Splash of Whisky
  • 25ml Ground Nut Oil
  • Pepper Mill
  • 5g Smoked Sea Salt
  • 1 Clove Garlic
  • 12 Shallots
  • Sprig Thyme
  • 4 x Maris Piper or King Edward Potatoes
  • Hot English Mustard

The Marinade

  1. For the best results it's best to marinade the steaks overnight for at least 12 hours. For this mix the pomegranate molasses, a splash of whisky, the ground nut oil, and pop in the broken clove of garlic, a few turns of black pepper and a pinch of the smoked salt.
  2. Splash over the steaks and leave covered in the fridge.

The Chips

  1. For proper chips, take some good main crop potatoes such as Maris Piper or King Edward, depending on how hungry you are.
  2. Peel the spuds, and using the entire potato cut chip about 5 mm thick and rinse in cold water for a good 30 minutes or more. (no square chips please)
  3. In the mean time, prepare a steamer then drain the chips and steam until tender and fluffy, (usually about 16 minutes), keeping a close eye on them though as we don't want mash potato
  4. Lay the chips flat on a tray and leave to cool.
  5. For the final stage heat a deep pan half full of beef dripping or duck fat and heat to 185c. Place the chips in a frying basket making sure they have no excess moisture left on them and fry till golden brown and crunchy: Around about 6 or 7 minutes.
  6. Shake off any excess fat, and toss with salt flakes and eat straight away.

The Shallots

  1. My trick with shallots is to simply peel them, place in a tin foil bag with a spoonful of duck fat, a pinch of sea salt, and a sprig of thyme. Be sure to wrap the bag tightly.
  2. Next, bake in a hot oven at 185oc for 45 minutes or until tender and sweet then transfer to a non stick frying pan and caramelize for a few seconds before serving.

The Steaks

  1. When the shallots and chips are underway take the marinated steaks out of the chiller, and allow to come to room temperature.
  2. Next, remove the excess marinade from the steaks and sear over full heat turning two or three times, until charred or almost burnt and aromatic.
  3. This stage is vital as we want the steaks to be nice and rare on the inside, otherwise this cut will be dry and tough.
  4. Leave the steaks to rest, then slice them at a 45 degree angle with a knife as sharp as possible.

To Serve

  • Serve on warm plates alongside the shallots and chips, with a big dab of English Mustard or a condiment of your choice.