I love this dish from the book, because it shows how simple eating good meat should be. We aren’t reinventing the wheel here; we know steak and egg is tasty. It also makes no excuses for cooking beef in a pan. Don’t get me wrong - there’s a time for a big flame and the theatre of a piece of meat on the grid, but it can also detract from the sublte grass-fed flavour of leaner cuts. I don’t mind cooking certain cuts in a pan and I even find the butter can enhance the natural flavour profile of grass-fed beef. 

Flatiron has gained popularity lately and is pretty trendy nowadays. It’s super-tender and is second only to fillet, even though it beats the pants off it when it comes to flavour. I understand why it’s become popular but I’d be just as happy with Denver steaks, thick flank or even rump for this dish. 

What you’ll need

1 x 350g Flatiron steak 

1 large free-range egg 

1 Tblsp butter 

olive oil, a slick  

Tabasco/Sriracha sauce (or anything you’ve got in your fridge)

¼ cup chives, chopped, to garnish 

How you’ll cook it

  1. On the stovetop, heat a pan until medium to hot. Add the olive oil and half the butter. Ensure the base of the pan is well covered with the foaming butter (the olive oil will help to prevent it from burning).

  2. Cook the steak for about 6 minutes, turning every 30 seconds. This cut is very thin and will cook extremely quickly. 

  3. Remove the steak and set aside. 

  4. Add the rest of the butter to the pan. Break an egg into the cooking juices and use a spoon to baste the edges of the egg while it’s cooking. 

To serve: slide your steak onto a plate, top with the fried egg and lashings of hot sauce. Garnish with chives.