This delicious bavette steak and parmentier potatoes is quickly becoming Mrs AnotherFoodBloggers fave dinner!! It's simple, effective and pretty easy to make too. If this sounds like I am talking your language then keep reading and see how I marinade, grill and what I serve with this delicious bavette steak!
sponsored by Mollydooker Wines, Mclaren Vale
Why I Love This Recipe
- simple
- full of flavour
- inexpensive cut of beef
- feed a crowd
This simple recipe uses some basic pantry ingredients to make a delicious meal fit for the family or dinner party guests. Bavette steak is FULL OF FLAVOUR, typically less expensive than cuts such as scotch steak aka rib eye, fillet steak or porterhouse so you will get BANG FOR YOUR BUCK and the beauty of it too is it's perfect for FEEDING A CROWD TOO! So, my advice when it's socially acceptable to have a large group over to your house then get yourself some bavette steak and whip up this cracker of a dish.
Don' forget to keep reading and check out my recommendation on what wine to pair with steak......
What Is Bavette Steak?
Bavette steak is the French term for flank steak. C'mon, it's french so therefore naturally it's a little sexy 😉
Don't get confused with skirt steak or flap meat. To the naked eye they all look quite similar but here are a few things to help distinguish them!
Bavette steak (flank steak) comes from the lower abdominal area of the cow so there are lots of tough fibres running through it. It's quite a lean cut and thicker than its mate the skirt. Bavette steak ideally is marinated to help tenderize it and cooked hot and fast to medium-rare temp.
Skirt steak is also a long thin steak with tough fibres running through it. This cut comes from the diaphragm muscles of the cow. Skirt steak also tends to be better marinated and cooked hot and fast to rare or medium-rare.
The most important thing to remember when cooking and eating these cuts of beef or any is to CUT AGAINST THE GRAIN and REST YOUR MEAT!!!
Red Wine Marinated Steak
So this bavette steak recipe ain't just about grilling a great piece of meat! If you hadn't guessed already we are using the delicious Mollydooker 'The Boxer' Shiraz in both the glass and the marinating process!
As discussed above these cuts of meat are cheaper than the more "glamorous" cuts, full of flavour and lend themselves to being marinated. Steak and red wine are two of my favourite things so why not combine them before cooking (and I don't mean getting drunk before cooking!).
Marinating a steak in red wine will help tenderize it. When we use alcohol to marinate meat we are adding acid to the meat. This helps to break down the meat and also to add flavour too. My advice when marinating steak is 30 minutes up to 4 hours. Once you start to go longer than this the meat can start to "cook" and change too much in texture. Taking the marinating process too far in the direction you were going.
Parmentier Potatoes
What are Parmentier potatoes? Crispy, golden nuggets of pure joy! These little fellas are simply roasted cubes of potatoes that are tossed in garlic and herbs. They originated in France and you will find them in restaurants and homes all over the world!
In this recipe, I par-boil the potatoes and then fry them in a little oil and finish them with butter for extra indulgence but typically these potatoes are roasted in the oven.
So for my version (more on it below), I scrub the potatoes clean and then cube them into 1cm cubes. I then parboil them for about 3 minutes, strain and pat them dry. Then into a piping hot frying pan with a little oil and fry them until crispy and brown, approx 10 minutes. Once they are nice and crispy I add some crushed garlic, chopped herbs and a generous knob of butter to take them to the next level!
Tips, Tricks & FAQ's
Do you even need to ask this? 100%. Resting meat is just as important as cooking it to your desired temperature. The resting process helps the juices redistribute given you a juicier cut of meat. Even a rested steak cooked medium-well will taste juicier than a steak cooked medium that isn't rested.
This will differ a little depending upon the time you have and the marinade you are using but I like to marinate this steak for about 2 hours before cooking. 30 minutes is sufficient time to get good results but anything over about 4 hours will change the texture and structure of the steak
For cuts like hangar, skirt, or bavette steak my advice is HOT & FAST. This means if using a frying pan it should be smoking prior to cooking. I used my Masterbuilt BBQ for this one and got it up to close to 300c for the cook.
Definitely! Traditionally Parmentier potatoes are roasted in the oven with garlic and herbs but I like to pan-fry my potatoes, plus it's a little quicker too! To roast them in the oven, parboil the potatoes, strain and pat dry. Have your pan screaming hot (so place it in the oven in advance) and then place the potatoes and some oil in a single layer in the pan. Cook @ 180c for 10-15 minutes, stir the potatoes and toss with chopped herbs and garlic and cook for another 10-15 minutes!
Mollydooker Wines
I've been a fan of these wines now for many years so to work alongside them makes a smile come to my face! The wines have big and bold flavours but boy are they EASY TO DRINK!
Based in the McLaren Vale region of South Australia it's not only the wines that stand out it's the company, their ethos and the fact there is a lot of fun behind the wines, the stories they tell and the packaging too. After all, life is a little boring if we all take ourselves too seriously.
Head to their website to learn all about the Dooker Shake along with the great work they do with local and overseas charities too.
Wine To Pair With Steak
This is one of the main reasons why I started a food blog. Wine and food is simply life. It's rare for me not to enjoy a glass of wine with my meal so I figured now that I live in a wine-producing country I could create some beautiful dishes and pair them with some amazing local wines!
This bavette steak recipe is not only paired with Mollydooker 'The Boxer' Shiraz but we also use it in the marinading of the steak. The big bold flavours maximise the flavour on the plate and on the palate too.
My "not so professional review" goes a little something like this...... The name "the boxer" is probably the best description you could find for this wine. It certainly packs a punch! At 15.5% alcohol it's relatively high in alcohol content yet it drinks RIDICULOUSLY easy. Definitely give it a dooker shake and you will be well rewarded. I get Madagascar vanilla from the oak, spicy plum notes, blackberries & licorice too. My advice is once you have used the wine to marinate the steak, do the dooker shake and pop it in the decanter! By the time you are cooking your steaks, the wine will have opened up and will be a dream to drink alongside this delicious bavette steak dish!
Alternative Steak Recipes
Inspired by this delicious red wine marinated bavette steak and need more beef in your life? Don't stress, because I've got you covered with these delicious options on my site and other fellow foodies sites too!
Steak, Tomato & Brie Crostini by Yours Truly
Beef Shish Kebab Recipe by Marie Roffey of 'Sugar Salt Magic'
Steak Tacos, Carne Asada Style by Yours Truly
Smoked Filet Mignon by Allyson Letal of 'Crave The Good'
Tomahawk Steak & Sides by Yours Truly
Chicken Fried Steak by Debi Morgan of 'Quiche My Grits'
Happy Cooking and Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
Steak
- 800 g bavette/flank steak
- 120 ml red wine
- 60 ml olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- salt & pepper
Tomatoes
- 500 g vine tomatoes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt
Potatoes
- 600 g brushed potatoes
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 knob butter
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- measuring/weighing utensils
- frying pan
- baking tray
- BBQ or grill pan
- tongs
Instructions
- Mix all the marinade ingredients together for the steak and place the marinade and steak in a ziplock bag for up to 2 hours
- Heat your BBQ to 300c and the oven to 180c
- Drizzle the tomatoes in oil and salt – set aside
- Clean the potatoes and chop them into 1cm cubes and par boil them for 3-4 minutes *see tips*
- Finely dice the rosemary for the potatoes
- Grill the steak on your BBQ for 10 – 12 minutes @ 300c or until internal temperature is 52-54c for medium-rare. The higher temperature will give you a nice crust/sear on the steak *see tips*
- Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes
- As the steak is resting roast the tomatoes for 10-12 minutes @ 180c in the oven
- Fry the potatoes on high heat in olive oil for 10 minutes/ until golden brown, add the rosemary, butter & garlic at the end and toss to combine
- Slice your steak and serve with vine tomatoes, potatoes and either a jus, mustard or whatever sauce you enjoy with your steak
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- this recipe calls for the steak to be marinated minimum of 2 hours – my advice is to do so in the morning before work or whatever daily activities you will be doing so that come dinner time it’s quick and easy to make!
- if you don’t have a BBQ then you can grill the steak on high for 2-3 minutes per side and then finish in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until internal temperature is 52-54c for medium-rare
- you can prepare the potatoes in advance - just leave them in a bowl of ice-cold water in the fridge to stop them from oxidising and going brown
- if you don’t parboil the potatoes you will need to fry them for about 15 minutes instead of 10 to ensure they are cooked through
- resting the meat is just as important as cooking it to the right temperature – if you cut the meat to soon then the juices won’t have time to re-distribute and you will be left with a pool of red and an overcooked piece of meat
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