Preparation time
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
10 to 30 mins
Serves
Serves 4
From Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
For the potted beef
- 200g/7oz salted butter
- 4 banana shallots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ground mace
- 1 star anise
- large pinch black pepper
- 2 tsp finely chopped thyme leaves
- 4 small bay leaves
- pinch nutmeg
- 250g/9oz cooked beef, leftover from a roast, fat trimmed off
For the red currant and apple chutney
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp peeled, grated ginger
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 Bramley apples, peeled and diced
- 500g/1lb 2oz redcurrants, stalks removed
- 150ml/¼ pt cider vinegar
- 500g/1lb 2oz granulated sugar
- salt and pepper
To serve
- wholemeal toast
- 100g/3½oz cornichons
Method
To make the potted beef, place the butter in a saucepan and add the shallots, garlic, mace, star anise, black pepper, thyme, 1 of the bay leaves and nutmeg. Warm on a medium heat until the butter has melted and set aside to infuse for 2–3 minutes. Then strain the butter over a bowl, reserving the shallots.
Place the beef in a blender or food processor along with almost all of the infused butter and a spoonful of the strained shallots. Blend to a chunky texture then spoon into four ramekins, top each with a bay leaf and seal with the remaining butter.
To make the red currant and apple chutney, add a splash of oil to a saucepan on a medium heat. Add the onion, ginger and rosemary and fry gently until softened. Add the diced apple and the redcurrants and stew for 10 minutes, until the apples begin to soften. Add the vinegar and sugar to the pan, and simmer for 40 minutes or until the apples are softened and reduced. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the chutney into a pot and place in the fridge.
Serve the potted beef with the chutney, toast, and cornichons.