Valentine's Day: Two recipes from top Irish chefs for a romantic homecooked dinner

The Tannery's Paul Flynn and Bunclody House's Kevin Dundon have you sorted for a night in with these hand-picked main courses

Make a hot date with our guest recipes.

Paul Flynn's Tafelspitz Steak

A classic Tafelspitz: boiled beef in broth with vegetables, strong horseradish, apple sauce and a flurry of chives.

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 25 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 x 250g striploin steaks

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil

• a knob of butter

• 1 sprig of fresh thyme

• FOR THE APPLE SAUCE:

• 1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored and sliced

• 3 tbsp water

• 1 tbsp golden brown sugar

• a pinch of ground cinnamon

• FOR THE SOUR CREAM:

• 200ml sour cream

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

• 1 tbsp horseradish sauce

Method

1. To make the apple sauce, put the apple, water, sugar and cinnamon in a small saucepan and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, until the apple breaks up and turns into a sweet compote. You can help it along by breaking up the apple a little with a wooden spoon halfway through cooking.

2. Mix the sour cream, chives and horseradish together and put in a nice bowl.

3. Season the steak, drizzle over the oil and rub it in. Heat a heavy-based grill pan, or even better, a ridged chargrill pan, over a high heat. When the pan is smoking gently, add the steaks.

4. For medium rare they will need 2 minutes on each side. For medium, 2½ minutes. They should feel a little soft and springy. Just leave them on a little longer if you prefer them more cooked.

5. When they are nearly ready, add the butter and thyme. Baste the steaks, then put them on a warm plate along with any residual butter. Cover in foil to rest for 5 minutes or so.

6. When serving, pour any residual juices over the steaks as a delicate little gravy. Serve with the apple sauce and horseradish and chive sour cream on the side.
8. From Butter Boy: Collected Stories and Recipes by Paul Flynn (ninebeanrowsbooks.com)

Kevin Dundon's Roasted Rack of Lamb & Rösti Potatoes

"I like Wexford Hook Head lamb as it is my local area, but many farms around the country produce fantastic lamb like Achill Island, Comeragh Mountain, Connemara and so on!"

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 24 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 25 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 49 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 x 6-7 bone Irish racks of lamb (2-3 bones per person), French trimmed

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 3 tbsp parsley, Freshly chopped

• 150g Fresh white breadcrumbs

• 100g ( 50g+50g) butter, melted

• ½ lemon zest

• Salt & Pepper

• 3 onions, cut in wedges

• 2 carrots, sliced in half

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and grated

• 4- 5 tbsp Irish rapeseed oil

• 80g salad leaves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Place the onions, carrots and garlic on the base of a roasting tray.

3. Then, spread mustard on the rack of lamb. Keep aside.

4. In a bowl, combine the parsley, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, 50g melted butter and salt and pepper together. And gently press the mixture onto the mustard brushed lamb racks.

5. Place in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes depending on how you like you meat cooked. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes if possible. Carve as required, I would normally allow 2 – 3 bones per person.

6. In the meantime, prepare the Rösti. In a bowl, grate the potatoes. Squeeze excess liquid from the potatoes by twisting the grated mix in a tea towel, then return the potato to the bowl and season with some salt and pepper.

7. Melt the rest of the butter and oil in a large frying pan, on a moderate/ low heat.

8. Take a small handful of the grated potato and make 4 patties ( 2 per person) of about 4 cm diameter.

9. Place each potato disc onto the pan and cook for about 5 - 6 minutes on each side. They are cooked, when the rösti is crisp on the outside and soft through in the middle.

10. Serve the lamb carved with the potato rösti and some salad leaves.