Ambrosial Beef on a Bed of Adorned Trimmings

Ingredients

Bottom Layer

• 1 1/4 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
• water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 tablespoon asiago cheese or parmesan cheese
• 1 pinch white pepper (to taste)

Middle Layer

• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 shallot, sliced
• 2 cups spinach (Baby Spinach Variety)
• 1/8 ground cayenne pepper
• olive oil flavored cooking spray
• 4 slices pancetta

Top Layer

• 2 (8 7/8 ounce)  filet of beef
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• salt
• black pepper, freshly cracked

Sauce

• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth or low sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 shallot, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon raspberry preserves
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked (to taste)

Directions

1. 1

   Peel potatoes then cut them in quarters. Place them in a saucepan and cover the potatoes with water. Boil for about 15/20 minutes or until soft.

2. 2

   Once potatoes are ready, drain them and place them in a mixing bowl, using a potato masher utensil, mash potatoes, then add milk slowly, add butter, cheese and white pepper, mash until potato is still thick but slightly creamy. Set aside until later.

3. 3

   Sauce: In a separate bowl add red wine, stock and flour, mix until flour has mixed into the liquid and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan, add shallots and cook until transparent. Add wine, stock and flour mixture, bring to boil and add raspberry preserves and black pepper, mix well. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or when the sauce has reduced three times it volume, don't forget to mix occasionally.

4. 4

   Heat a large griddle pan or frying pan. Rub olive oil on to the beef fillet, then sprinkle salt and pepper and cook until charred and done to your liking.

5. 5

   With about three minutes for the beef to be completed, cook pancetta. To do this add a little olive oil spray to the pan (either the same pan as beef or different pan). Cook for about a minute and half each side or until slightly crunchy.

6. 6

   With about two minutes for beef to be cooked, cook spinach. First add some butter to the pan (either the same pan the beef is cooking or you could use another pan), once butter has melted add shallots until transparent but not brown, add baby spinach and cayenne pepper, just allow the spinach to slightly wilt.

7. 7

   Once everything has cooked, start serving. Serve half of the potatoes in each plate, make sure it is in the centre of the plate. Serve half each of the baby spinach on top of the potato. Then serve two slices each of pancetta on top of the spinach, serve beef on top of the pancetta. Using a spoon serve red wine sauce, either on top of the beef or around the mash potato.

8. 8

   Enjoy.