Rich flavours of steak bavette are accentuated by caramelized shallots slowly cooked in butter, sugar and red wine vinegar. The steak shares the plate with buttery potatoes making for a comforting, satisfying meal.

The Flavour Affair:

Steak bavette + Rosemary + Shallots + Butter + Sugar + Red wine vinegar

This is a hearty, filling combination but the taste is so incredibly rich that a little goes a long way.

Steak Bavette: “bavette” is French for flap steak. While it is similar to and often confused with flank steak, this is not the same cut. Bavette has more marble, which is what makes it incredibly juicy and tender.

Shallots: this type of onions have a subtle garlicky finish and get sweet when cooked.

Butter: creates a thick, creamy base and softens the sharpness of shallots.

Sugar: a little brown or raw sugar together with the butter allows for the shallots to caramelize.

Red wine vinegar: the acidity balances the richness of butter and adds a tart contrast to the sauce.

Rosemary: brings in woody, peppery notes. The sprig is for decoration – use a rub of salt and dried thyme to season the steak before cooking.

How to cook steak bavette:

Because this cut of meat is comparably thin and has a lot of marble, it is probably the easiest steak to cook to perfection. Simply take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking (otherwise the meat will stay cold in the middle) and season with salt, dried rosemary, black pepper and a little oil. Heat a grill or a frying pan to high and fry the steak for 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on how thick it is and how you like it. It takes 2 minutes on each side plus resting time for a 1.5cm thick steak to reach a perfect medium. After frying, transfer the steak to a plate or a cutting board and let rest for a few minutes. This step allows for the juices to redistribute throughout the cut.

How to cook shallots:

Braised shallots add a lot of flavour to this dish, so please don’t skip them! They don’t take much to make, and I promise the result will be extremely rewarding. Start with melting butter on a pan, add sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes, then hit the pan with the vinegar and give it another good mix. After this, put the lid on, lower the heat and leave the onions to cook for 25-30 minutes. Check a few time and if the liquid evaporates, add a little water.

In the end, remove the lid and simmer over a high heat for 3-5 minutes. You will get an amazing, thick and luscious shallots “stew”.

How to make buttery potatoes:

Slice the potatoes into semi circles approximately 4mm thick and season with salt. Heat a mix of oil and butter to medium and fry the potatoes for 15-20 minutes until golden and soft.

To serve, slice the bavette steak and arrange on a plate together with the potatoes. Add a generous topping of braised shallots and decorate with a sprig of rosemary.

Falling in love with steak bavette? Make sure to try out these quick and delicious Steak Noodles!

Steak Bavette with Braised Shallots

Rich flavours of steak bavette cooked to a perfect medium are accentuated by braised shallots and irresistibly buttery potatoes.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 4

Equipment

• 1 Sauce Pan
• 1 large pan
• 1 grill pan

Ingredients

  

• 4 bavette (flap) steaks ~100g each
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil plus more for frying
• 4-5 medium potatoes sliced
• 40 g butter plus 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt

For the onions:

• 4 large shallots sliced into circles
• 40 g butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• A pinch of salt

Instructions

 

• Melt the butter in a pan, add the olive oil and sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar.
• Add the shallots and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring. You might notice a couple of sugar lumps – just leave them there.
• Hit the pan with the vinegar, give it all another good stir, cover, lower the heat to minimum and cook for 25-30 minutes. If the liquid evaporates, add a little water.
• Remove the lid and simmer over medium to high heat for another 3-5 minutes. You’ll end up with a kind of a thick, luscious shallot stew.
• While the shallots are cooking, fry the potatoes in a mix of oil and butter until golden and soft.
• Prep the steaks – take them out of the fridge at least half an hour before cooking and season with salt, pepper, dry rosemary and olive oil.
• When the shallots and the potatoes are ready, heat a grill pan until hot and cook steaks for a few minutes on each side. It takes 2 minutes on each side plus resting time for a 1.5cm steak to achieve a perfect medium.
• Let rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing and serving.
• To serve, slice each steak and arrange on a plate together with potatoes. Add a generous topping of braised shallots and decorate with a sprig of rosemary.