Beef tartare, grilled onion salad, crispy potato and crème fraîche

Robin Aitken

Robin Aitken

29th April 2025
Robin Aitken

Beef tartare, grilled onion salad, crispy potato and crème fraîche

60 min

On the menu at Margo

Ingredients

Margo house dressing

  • 20g garlic cloves
  • 10g chives (trimmings preferably)
  • 10g dijon mustard
  • 15g lemon juice
  • 5g verjus
  • 2g freshly toasted and ground peppercorns
  • 60g high quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 60g pomace olive oil
  • 1g salt

Potato sticks

  • 1 large rooster potato
  • Table salt to season
  • 1 teaspoon nigella seeds, toasted and ground
  • 1 tablespoon of any vinegar

To assemble

  • 2 red onions
  • Small bunch of spring onions
  • Small shallot brunoised
  • 1 tablespoon of finely chopped
  • 6 tablespoons of the vinaigrette
  • 300g diced rump steak
  • crispy potatoes
  • 4 tablespoons high quality creme fraiche
  • 1 Teaspoon toasted and ground nigella

Method

Margo house dressing

Roast the garlic in a saucepan with the pomace oil until golden and soft
Blitz together all ingredients bar oil
Monté in the oil
Allow to sit in the fridge and marinate for at least one day

Potato sticks

Julienne the potato and rinse in cold water
Cover with more cold water and the vinegar, allow to stand for 5 mins
Thoroughly drain and then deep fry at 180c until they have turned a light golden brown colour and crispy
Season with the salt and the ground nigella seeds

To assemble

We roast the red onions whole in our closed barbeque for an hour, this could be achieved in a 200 degree convection oven. The onions should be soft to the touch when ready. We the peel and quarter into petals and keep warm
Lightly dress the whole spring onions in a third of the dressing and grill hard till charred, cut into thirds and mix with the red onions to keep warm
In the centre of a plate drop a tablespoon of the creme fraiche as a base
Mix the beef in a bowl with the shallots, chives and a further third of the dressing. Season with salt and pepper and add to the top of the creme fraiche
In the same bowl season the onions with salt, pepper and the remaining dressing
Top the beef with the onion mix and then the crispy potatoes and nigella

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