Plenty of chefs far more experienced than me have shown you how to cook steak, but here are a couple of secrets.
Season just before cooking. Salt only, at the last minute. Pepper goes on later, because it burns in a seriously hot pan.
Cook in beef dripping. I kept the fat from a roast beef a while ago. Fillet doesn’t have much fat of its own, so melt the dripping in the pan, paint it onto the steaks and leave a mere smear in the pan. It’s basically extra beefy flavour.
Timing. For a fillet about an inch (2.5cm) thick, cook for about 3 minutes on each side. You’ll know it’s ready to turn when it stops sticking to the pan – don’t force it.
Rest it. Rest steaks for as long as they cooked, in a warm metal dish. I give these a good 10 minutes.
Pan sauce. Don’t waste what’s in the pan. Add red wine, whisky or brandy, scrape up all the bits, then add cream and you’ve got an amazing sauce.