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Love Pub Food? Make It At Home With These 6 Tasty Recipes

Comfort food at its very best.
Get your favourite pub fare in the comfort of your own home.
Beef and Potatoes by Jean Francois-Mallet (Murdoch Books)
Get your favourite pub fare in the comfort of your own home.

One of the best parts of a pub visit is the food. Yes, those greasy, filling, satisfying dishes you wish you could enjoy all day every day.

If you love pub food, these recipes are going to tickle your fancy.

Think hearty cottage pie, beef and potato tagine, pastrami sandwiches, roast beef with BĂ©arnaise sauce, fried potatoes with sage butter and grilled steak with watercress sauce.

You'll be happy to know, too, that you don't need much time or skill -- or any fancy ingredients -- to perfect these pub recipes from Beef and Potatoes by Jean Francois-Mallet.

All you really need is meat, potatoes and a very empty, hungry stomach.

Beef and Potatoes by Jean Francois-Mallet (Murdoch Books)

1. Roast beef with BĂ©arnaise sauce

Serves 4–6.

Preparation time: 15 minutes.

Cooking time: 25 minutes.

Meat resting time: 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 piece roasting beef, about 1kg
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil

For the BĂ©arnaise sauce:

  • 250g butter
  • 1 large handful tarragon
  • 2 French shallots
  • 50ml white wine
  • 30ml white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 egg yolks

METHOD

1. To make the Béarnaise sauce, first clarify the butter. Melt it in a medium heavy-based saucepan over medium–high heat, stirring occasionally and removing the froth that forms on the top with a spoon. Let it boil for about 15 minutes, until all the water has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Strain the butter through a fine sieve lined with paper towel into a glass jar.

2. Wash and roughly chop half the tarragon leaves and set them aside. Peel and chop the shallots.

3. Put the remaining tarragon (with the stems) in a medium saucepan over medium–high heat with the shallots, wine, vinegar and pepper. Bring to the boil, reduce by two-thirds, then set aside to cool.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

5. Add the egg yolks and five teaspoons of water to the cooled sauce in the saucepan. Place over very low heat and whisk in the yolks vigorously to emulsify the sauce, removing the saucepan from the heat at intervals so the yolks don't curdle. Whisk for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is mousse-like and quite thick.

6. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the melted clarified butter and gently whisk it in, as for making mayonnaise. Strain the sauce through a fine strainer and add the reserved chopped tarragon leaves. Put the sauce somewhere that's not too hot or cold.

7. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting tin and pour the oil over. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes. When cooked, remove from the oven, cover with foil and let the meat rest for 10 minutes, turning it 2–3 times. Cut the roast into slices and serve with the Béarnaise sauce on the side.

Serve with fried potatoes or crispy potato chips.
Beef and Potatoes by Jean Francois-Mallet (Murdoch Books)
Serve with fried potatoes or crispy potato chips.

2. Classic cottage pie

Serves 5–7.

Preparation time: 20 minutes.

Cooking time: one hour and 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1kg floury/starchy or mashing potatoes
  • 200ml hot milk
  • 80g butter
  • 2 large onions
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried herbs de Provence or mixed dried herbs
  • 300g sausage meat
  • 70g tomato paste (concentrated purĂ©e)
  • 800g minced (ground) beef
  • 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs (optional)

METHOD

1. Peel the potatoes, place in a large saucepan of salted water over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15–20 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking water, and put the potatoes through a food mill. Transfer to a medium bowl and add a little of the cooking water, the hot milk and butter. Season with salt and pepper, stir to combine and set aside.

2. Peel and chop the onions and garlic. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the onion, garlic, dried herbs and sausage meat, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste and minced beef. Mix together and cook for a further 8–10 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Spoon the meat mixture into a large baking dish. Cover with the potato purée. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, if using, and cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

4. Serve the cottage pie hot with a green salad dressed with a strong mustard vinaigrette.

Comfort food at its best.
Beef and Potatoes by Jean Francois-Mallet (Murdoch Books)
Comfort food at its best.

3. Beef and potato tagine

Serves four.

Preparation time: 35 minutes.

Cooking time: 50 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 large red onions
  • 5 pink garlic cloves (or white if not available)
  • 800g all-purpose potatoes
  • 800g minced beef
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 120ml olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 sprigs thyme

For the sauce:

  • 5 sprigs mint
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 150g plain yoghurt

METHOD

1. To make the sauce, wash and chop the mint. Combine the olive oil, yoghurt and mint in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Peel and slice the onions and garlic. Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks.

3. Put the meat, garlic, cumin and curry powder in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and combine using your hands. Shape into meatballs the size of a small egg. Set aside on a plate.

4. Heat the olive oil in a tagine over medium–high heat. Add the meatballs and cook on all sides, turning them gently. Add the onions, potato, honey and thyme and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown. Add 150ml water and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

5. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

Serve hot with a green salad and the mint yoghurt sauce.
Beef and Potatoes by Jean Francois-Mallet (Murdoch Books)
Serve hot with a green salad and the mint yoghurt sauce.

4. Pastrami sandwiches

Makes four sandwiches.

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Cooking time: five minutes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 4 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 8 thick slices country-style bread
  • 350g thinly sliced pastrami
  • 250g sauerkraut, warmed (optional)
  • 4 gherkins (pickles)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Combine the mayonnaise with the mustard and spread this mixture generously onto four slices of the bread. Top with sauerkraut (if using) and/or pastrami. Brush the remaining four slices of bread with the mayonnaise and mustard mixture and place on top of the pastrami. Press down gently on the sandwiches, cut them in half and arrange on a baking tray. Put them in the oven for five minutes to warm through, without browning.

3. Serve warm with salad, crispy potato chips and gherkins.

Variations: You can replace the pastrami with very thin slices of roast beef or dried beef (such as bresaola).

Use fresh bread for extra tastiness.
Beef and Potatoes by Jean Francois-Mallet (Murdoch Books)
Use fresh bread for extra tastiness.

5. Grilled steak with herb and watercress sauce

Serves 4–5.

Preparation time: 20 minutes.

Cooking time: 4-8 minutes.

Meat resting time: 2–4 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1kg topside steak

For the sauce:

  • 1 small handful watercress
  • 1 handful tarragon
  • 10 sprigs basil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 100ml olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

METHOD

1. To make the sauce, wash, pick and roughly chop the watercress leaves. Wash the tarragon and basil and pick the leaves. Peel and chop the garlic.

2. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the garlic and thyme and cook them for 20 seconds, stirring. Remove from the heat. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool until just warm. Add the watercress, tarragon and basil, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. Cut the meat into several thick slices. Heat a barbecue rack or a frying pan over high heat.

4. Five minutes before serving time, season the meat with salt and pepper and place on the hot barbecue or in the hot frying pan.

5. Cook the meat for two minutes on each side for rare, or four minutes for medium-rare.

6. Transfer the meat to a plate, cover with foil and let it rest in a warm place for half the cooking time, turning over at least once to distribute the juices in the meat. Serve with the herb and watercress sauce.

Suggestion: serve this steak with crispy potato chips.
Beef and Potatoes by Jean Francois-Mallet (Murdoch Books)
Suggestion: serve this steak with crispy potato chips.

6. Fried new potatoes with sage butter

Serves four.

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Cooking time: 45 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1kg small new potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 100g butter
  • 10 sage leaves

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Scrub the potatoes in their skin under cold running water, then dry them in a tea towel. Arrange them in a large roasting tin and drizzle with the olive oil. Cook in the preheated oven, turning occasionally, for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the sage leaves and cook until they are crisp. Remove from the heat (the butter should be slightly brown). Set aside at room temperature.

3. Once the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and butter. Heat through, tossing gently, for 2–3 minutes and serve with a salad or as a side to roast beef or chicken.

Use these crispy potatoes as a side to any of the above dishes.
Beef and Potatoes by Jean Francois-Mallet (Murdoch Books)
Use these crispy potatoes as a side to any of the above dishes.

Images and recipes from Beef and Potatoes by Jean Francois-Mallet (Murdoch Books) RRP $49.99

Beef and Potatoes by Jean Francois-Mallet (Murdoch Books)

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