Mallet - Beef & potatoes: 200 recipes for the perfect steak and chips, and so much more

Dinner. Sorted.

Here are 200 recipes, classic and modern, for two of the worlds favourite ingredients. In the Beef chapter there are luscious, hearty recipes such as rib eye steak with garlic chips; Belgian beef and beer stew; and roast beef with barnaise sauce. In the Potatoes chapter: how to make the ultimate chips; potato pancakes with spinach and mint; potato fritters; and potato pure with truffles. In the Beef and Potatoes chapter: classic cottage pie; beef and potato tagine with mint yoghurt; traditional beef wellington with duchess potatoes; and Mexican-style braised beef.

With 200 recipes for everything from steak and chips to warming beef bourguignon, weve got your dinner options covered.

Jean-Francois Mallet studied at the renowned culinary arts school Ferrandi, in Paris, and worked for some of Frances top chefs before becoming a food photographer. He now travels the world in search of incredible meals and the talented people who make them.

Is it shameful to be a devotee of steak and chips in the land of high gastronomy? Absolutely not, because not just anyone can make it well. Sure, it is on the menu of every brasserie and on the chalkboard of every bistro in France, but quite often it is an impostor. You are served poor meat badly cooked and potatoes that taste only of oil. Whereas a good steak and chips, well, the devotees are right there is nothing better. And perhaps this is all they eat because they are on a quest to find the perfect version. Steak and chips is so good, and so difficult to do well, that one day the great chef Michel Troisgros said to us, after a photo shoot and interview: Sit down, I will make you something to eat.

We expected a lobster thermidor, an iced wild green soup with chicken oysters Nothing of the sort! He came back with an unforgettable fillet steak with souffl potatoes. Steak and chips is a sort of metonymy the quintessential form of beef and potatoes but there are infinite variations on the formula. To throw people off the scent, so to speak, all you have to do is firmly declare that you are not difficult to please, the proof being you eat everything: classic cottage pie; beef wellington with duchess potatoes; beef and potato croquettes; (good) steak and chips As long as there are meat and potatoes, youre happy. Take your pick!

beef The simplistic soul who just thinks beef without considering which cut or chooses only T-bone steak time and again (and everything else goes into the mincer) has no hope. If he wants a slow-cooked stew and chooses the wrong cut, he will find himself with shoe leather. If he wants to barbecue and chooses boiling beef, he will be stuck with rubbery meat.

The whole point of butchery is to precisely identify the right cut for each way of cooking. Suddenly it all becomes clear choosing which bit of the cow to use is no small matter, because cooking beef is an art in itself. And since an encyclopedia wouldnt be enough if you wanted to go into the details, lets stick to the basics. The front parts, which contain a lot of sinew, require slow cooking (braising, stewing, roasting), because the sinew turns into collagen and provides gelatine. The back parts lend themselves to quick cooking methods (grilling, pan-frying). The better quality the meat, the more cuts (back or front) you can grill or pan-fry successfully.

Meats of lesser quality are more suited to slow cooking because they are tougher. As for the rest, your butcher is your best guide.

Marinated and grilled rib steak Serves 46 4 sprigs thyme, plus extra to serve 1 sprig rosemary, plus extra to serve 2 bay leaves 250 g (9 oz) cherry tomatoes 8 pink garlic cloves (or white if not available) 200 ml (7 fl oz) olive oil 1 large rib steak (about 2.5 kg/5 lb 8 oz)

Preparation time 10 minutes

Cooking time 20 minutes

Resting time Overnight Meat resting time 5 minutes Wash, dry and roughly chop the herbs. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and bruise the garlic cloves in their skin. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic cloves and let them cook for 10 minutes over very low heat.

Check they are cooked by inserting the tip of a knife. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the garlic cool a little. Add the herbs and tomatoes. Set aside to let the oil infuse and cool completely. Lightly trim the rib steak of excess fat and place in a large, deep dish. Drain the garlic cloves, herbs and tomatoes, put into a bowl, cover and set aside in the refrigerator.

Use the oil to coat the steak. Cover with plastic wrap and let the steak marinate overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, at serving time, drain the rib steak on a plate. Season with salt and pepper, then cook on a preheated hot barbecue, or in an oven preheated to 180C (350F), or in a frying pan over high heat for about 5 minutes each side. Cover with foil to keep the steak warm and let it rest for 5 minutes, turning it over once. Serve with the reserved garlic, cherry tomatoes and herbs.