There's nothing that quite says 'I love you' more than a perfectly cooked steak. Whether you're cooking for a loved one, hosting a mate date or looking for a mid-week hit for the family dinner, MasterChef alumni and Sum Yung Guys owner Matt Sinclair shares his favourite steak recipes that are easy, healthy and oh-so-special.

Impress with Matt's luxurious rib eye with celeriac gratin and garden tabouli or try his tender scotch fillet with a warm spiced winter salad. That's date night sorted, plus extras for lunch the next day.

"When it comes to date night, you really can't beat a beef steak. For me, it's the ultimate dish to show off, when in fact cooking a steak is easy! Just make sure you bring your meat to room temperature before cooking, season and oil the steak before it goes in the pan and get your grill smoking hot before you start" says Matt.

Matt is working with Australian Beef to highlight the variety of different beef cuts available, including the rib eye and scotch fillet, and providing Australians with inspiration, tips and tricks on how to incorporate them into healthy meals at home as part of a balanced diet.

You can find more information on cuts and other healthy meals options at www.australianbeef.com.au

 

Matt Sinclair's Rib Eye with Celeriac Gratin

Serves: 4
Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking: 40 mins

Ingredients
2 rib eye steaks

Celeriac gratin
40g butter
40g plain flour
400g milk
100g tasty cheese

1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 celeriac (approx. grapefruit size), shaved as thinly a possible
2 medium brown onions, sliced
Panko breadcrumbs
Salt

Garden Tabouli
1 cup mint leaves
1 cup flat leaf parsley
1 cup coriander leaves
2 cups shredded kale
1/3 cup currants
1/3 cup toasted pepitas

Dressing
30ml pomegranate molasses
30ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, finely grated
Generous pinch of salt

Method
1. Make sure the meat is at room temperature before you start cooking.
2. Preheat oven to 170oC. To make the celeriac gratin, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stirring constantly, mix in the flour and cook until the paste bubbles a bit, about 2 minutes – but don't let it brown. 3. Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a simmer, add cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat and cook, stirring continuously for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Grease a deep baking tray and place a layer of celeriac on the base, followed by a layer of onions and some bechamel sauce. Repeat process until everything has been used. Sprinkle top with panko crumbs and a drizzle of olive oil.
5. Place in heated oven for 30-40 minutes. Increase heat at the end if you want to develop more colour on top.
6. While this is cooking, combine all your dressing ingredients then place this into a bowl with the salad ingredients. Slightly massage the salad to soften the kale.
7. Prepare the now room temperature steak by trimming, patting dry with paper towel and rubbing with some oil and season both sides with generous amounts of salt.
8. Heat a heavy-based frypan on med-high heat and cook the steak for 4-5 minutes on each side to develop a nice crust (depending on the thickness of your rib eye cooking time will vary).

Tips
• For a large rib eye, remove from fridge at least two hours before to allow sufficient time to get to room temperature.
• Use a cooking thermometer to check the internal temp for your desired outcome as the most accurate way of cooking.