I love a well-seasoned steak straight from the oven, but if there’s one accompaniment I would choose to go with it, that would be a Green Peppercorn Sauce. This is one of the truly classic sauces that’s simple to make, and goes really well with steak.

For the steak:
2 ribeye steaks, that have been given at least an hour to come up to room temperature
Clarified butter (warmed in the oven opening)
Flaky sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper

For the sauce:
3 tbsp unsalted butter
4 shallots, finely diced
2 garlic cloves finely diced
2 tablespoons green peppercorns
3 tablespoons of brandy, but you can use a nice bourbon as a substitute
250g of beef stock
200g of heavy cream

Potatoes
Some vegetable oil, or olive oil

THE POTATOES
Cut the potatoes into your favourite shape. Heat up some vegetable oil in a pan, add the potatoes and roast for about 30 minutes depending on the heat of your oven. (alternatively, toss the potatoes in olive oil and roast the same way). Once the potatoes are done, keep them warm, and then reheat them when the other parts of the meal are ready.

THE STEAK
While the potatoes are in the oven, generously salt and pepper both steaks, pressing the seasoning into the meat. Put the skillet in the oven to bring it up to a high temperature. Add the beef stock to a sauce pot, and put that in the oven so it’s hot when you add it to the pan.
Add some of the clarified butter to the skillet and place in the steaks. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes each side for medium rare. That’s around 140F/60C if you’re going to use a meat thermometer. When the steaks are done, keep them warm while you make the sauce.

THE SAUCE
Remove any excess oil from the pan, but leave the fond. Fond are the browned bits of the steak that are left on the bottom of the pan. This is chef’s gold, and these concentrated flavours will add a wonderful richness to the sauce.

Melt the butter in the skillet, then add the chopped shallots, garlic, and green peppercorns. Stir them together, scraping up the fond from that pan, and sauté for a few minutes without burning. Add the brandy and ignite with the fire from the oven. Once the flame has died, add the beef stock, and reduce by about half to intensify the flavour.
Add any juices that have gathered while the steaks have been resting. Add the cream and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, just a few minutes, but be careful you don't want the burn the cream. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed.

When everything is ready. Sprinkle salt over the potatoes. Serve the steak. And pour over some of the green peppercorn sauce.

The wine is Frédéric & Daniel Brunier's Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe.

The music is “Charango” by Mark Thomas Hannah.