Recipe: Roasted beef pear with Parisian potatoes

Name: Roasted beef pear with Parisian potatoes
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 25 oz (700 g) beautiful beef pear from Charolais beef, well prepared by your butcher and cut into 4 well-rounded pieces, removed from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking; 17.75 oz (500 g) potatoes (Pompadour or Bintje for example); 0.8 cup (20 cl) red wine sauce (Cahors wine if possible, or beef stew or braised meat sauce); 3.5 oz (100 g) clarified butter; A little cracked pepper; Butter and oil; Thyme and bay leaf; 1 garlic clove cut in half; Salt and freshly ground pepper; Coarse sea salt

By chef patrick Asfaux 5/5 (3 reviews)

Recipe Roasted beef pear with Parisian potatoes - Chef Patrick Asfaux — Photo: aftouch-cuisine

Prep 25 min

Cook 20 min

Total 45 min

Servings 4 serv.

Beef pear is the cut between strip loin and rib, perfect for roasting. Cut into 4 pavés of 175g each, removed from fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Parisian potatoes (20 small balls) simmer 5 minutes in salted water, then finish golden in clarified butter with garlic. Meat rests 6 minutes after searing: the juice stays pink. Cahors wine sauce on deglazing, that's all.

Ingredients for 4 servings

Adjust for

servings

25 oz (700 g) beautiful beef pear from Charolais beef, well prepared by your butcher and cut into 4 well-rounded pieces, removed from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking
17.75 oz (500 g) potatoes (Pompadour or Bintje for example)
0.8 cup (20 cl) red wine sauce (Cahors wine if possible, or beef stew or braised meat sauce)
3.5 oz (100 g) clarified butter
A little cracked pepper
Butter and oil
Thyme and bay leaf
1 garlic clove cut in half
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Coarse sea salt

Step-by-step directions

1 Peel your potatoes, then use a melon baller to remove about twenty small balls. Keep them in cold water. Save the rest for a soup.

2 Place your potato balls in a pot of cold water, salt with coarse salt, add a little thyme and a bay leaf, bring to a boil and maintain for 5 minutes.

3 In a pan, heat the clarified butter. Drain your potato balls and place them in your butter with your half garlic cloves. Let them roast gently over the fire until they are well browned (about 10 minutes). Salt and cover, then turn off the heat.

4 In a pan, melt a good piece of butter and a few drops of oil. Once the mixture turns hazelnut color, place your 4 pieces of meat and roast them on all sides (about 4 minutes). Turn off the heat and remove these pieces. At the bottom of the pan, place a small upturned plate, put the meat pieces back on top. Salt and pepper, then cover and let rest for 6 minutes.

5 Turn the heat back on under both pans. Remove your 4 pieces of meat and your plate, then deglaze your pan with your red wine sauce. Use a whisk to mix in the cooking juices, then strain. Slice the meat on your cutting board and arrange on hot plates. Place the sauce around them along with the Parisian potatoes, then pour the hot pan juices over your meat pieces. A few grains of cracked pepper and you're done.

Chef Patrick's Comment

The pear is one of the butcher's cuts (like the merlan or spider cut). It's a well-rounded, meaty piece found on the internal face of the thigh. Its location is ideal because this muscle works very little, which makes it tender.

Clarified butter: melted butter from which you have first removed the foam (casein), then carefully poured off the fat without taking any of the bottom layer (whey or buttermilk).

Frequently asked questions

Can clarified butter be replaced with oil for the Parisian potatoes?

Clarified butter reaches higher heat without burning, which properly browns the balls. Fine olive oil works, but you lose flavour. Neutral oil also works, just less tasty.

Can Parisian potatoes be prepared ahead of time?

Yes. Peel and cut your balls in the morning, keep them in cold water in the fridge. Boil them 5 minutes 30 minutes before serving, then roast in butter last. Saves time when plating.

Why place an upside-down plate under the meat during resting?

The plate creates elevation that isolates the meat from the hot pan bottom. Juices drain underneath and don't overcook the underside. That's what keeps the centre pink. Without it, fibres keep cooking.