Food

A mouth-watering butterbean mash with succulent steaks

Why not try this potato alternative that comes together in minutes while the steaks cook?

Rosemary butterbean mash and tasty steak.

Lilly Higgins's face
Lilly Higgins
Sat Nov 16 2019 - 06:00

I’ve been making this butterbean mash for years now. It’s a fantastic mashed potato alternative that comes together in minutes while the steaks cook. You can mash it roughly with a potato masher, retaining some texture with whole beans, or puree it with a hand held blender until it becomes silky smooth. Avoid the hand-held blender when it comes to mashed potato, though, as it encourages the starches and turns it into a gluey mess.

The somewhat bland butterbean takes on great flavour with additions such as rosemary and garlic. I add roughly three cloves as I love the combination, but alter it to your own family’s taste.

I always have food in the middle of the table. I encourage my little diners to pass the side dishes to one another, and everyone has to have vegetables on their plate, and try everything.

For this steak dish, I usually saute some mushrooms to have with it. For an absolutely delicious side dish that only takes a few minutes, saute some mushrooms in butter, add a handful or two of finely chopped kale and fry it gently. Then place it all in an ovenproof dish and top it with crumbled Cashel Blue cheese. This is tasty enough to be a main course with crusty bread or a baked potato, but is also incredible with the steak.

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I sometimes make mash with cauliflower too. Cauliflower pairs really well with coconut, so add a splash of coconut cream and a pinch of cumin. This is great with a lamb stew.

I like to cook my steaks medium rare, on the rare side for the adults. But it’s all up to personal preference. It generally takes three to four minutes each side to cook a steak medium and then leave it to rest for five minutes before slicing it thinly.

If by happy coincidence you happen to have cream in the house, then swirl some in the pan after cooking the steaks and use a wooden spoon to remove any pieces that are stuck. Add black pepper and leave the sauce to simmer and thicken while the steak rests. This makes an instant pepper sauce with very little effort.

STEAK WITH ROSEMARY BUTTERBEAN MASH

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper
3 rib-eye steaks
2 tins cooked butterbeans
1-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Green beans or broccoli
½ lemon cut into thin slices

Method

  1. Remove the steaks from the fridge at least 15 minutes before cooking. Drizzle each one with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat a pan over medium high heat. Once it's hot enough add the steaks. Cook them without disturbing them for three to four minutes, before turning them over. Only turn the steak once. The centre of the steak will feel soft if rare, slightly springy when medium and firm when well done.
  3. Remove from the pan and leave to rest on a plate covered with foil for at least five minutes before thinly slicing. Pour any cooking juices that are released back over the steak slices.
  4. Meanwhile, place a saucepan over a medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic cloves and rosemary. Cook for 30-60 seconds until just fragrant and the garlic no longer smells raw. Be careful not to burn it.
  5. Drain one tin of beans but keep half the cooking liquid that is in the other tin. Tip both tins and the reserved liquid into the pan and stir well to combine. Simmer for five minutes till the water thickens and the beans are heated through. Season well with salt and pepper. Remove the stalks of rosemary and blitz it all until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
  6. Cook the green beans or broccoli in salted water then drain. Serve with the thinly sliced steak and butterbean mash.
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