I had never cooked with bavette steak before making this recipe.  It’s a less well known cut of meat, which is full of flavour but can be tough so needs to be cooked quickly on a high heat. It cooks in a few minutes, but needs longer resting, to allow the meat to relax and become juicy again. 

Serves 4

BBC Good Food

Ingredients

• 1½ kg bavette steak
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the chimichurri sauce

• 2 green chillies, sliced
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• small pack oregano, leaves picked
• large pack parsley, leaves picked
• 1 banana shallot, roughly sliced
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly sliced
• 10 pickled jalapeños
• zest 1 lemon

For the cheesy corn

• 1 tin sweetcorn
• 30g butter, melted
• 30g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), finely grated

For the blackened sweet potato mash

• 1kg sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• juice 1 lime, plus 1 cut into 4 wedges to serve
• 4 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the pricked potatoes on the top shelf of the oven and roast for 45 mins, then heat the grill to its highest setting and grill for 5 mins, turning halfway, until slightly charred.
2. Meanwhile, make the chimichurri sauce. Blitz all the ingredients in a food processor until they’re finely chopped but the sauce still has a little texture. Transfer to a bowl and season to taste. The sauce should be punchy, herby and fragrant, with a good kick of chilli. Cover with cling film and put in the fridge to let the flavours develop. Can be made a few days ahead – keep in the fridge until needed.
3. Take the bavette out of the fridge 1 hr before cooking so it comes up to room temperature. Meanwhile, heat a large griddle pan until it’s nearly smoking.
4. Season the bavette liberally with flaky sea salt and a good grinding of black pepper, and rub with oil on both sides. Place in a griddle pan and cook for a couple of minutes each side or until cooked to your liking.
5. Rest the bavette for 5 mins. Meanwhile, heat the sweetcorn in a saucepan with the butter and parmesan.
6. Put the potatoes on a large platter and lightly mash with a fork, skins and all – they will fall apart easily. Drizzle over the lime juice and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil, and season well before topping with the spring onions. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
7. Taste your chimichurri sauce again and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
8. Serve with the cheesy corn on the cob and blackened sweet potato mash, and the chimichurri sauce spooned over.