Steak and Eggs

Ingredients

• 200g sirloin steak (room temperature)
• 2 large eggs
• 15g butter
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• Salt and black pepper

Method

Remove the steak from the fridge 40 minutes before cooking — cold meat will not caramelize evenly. The centre needs time to reach room temperature so the carryover heat during resting-after-cooking doesn't push a medium-rare cut into medium-well. Pat it completely dry with kitchen paper; moisture blocks the searing reaction. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper just before the pan hits heat — early salting draws moisture to the surface, which you've just dried away.

Use a cast-iron or heavy-bottomed steel pan. Heat it over high heat until a drop of water dances across the surface and evaporates in a second. Add the olive oil and let it smoke slightly. Lay the steak away from you — this protects you from the fat spit — and leave it untouched for two and a half minutes. You're building the searing crust through the Maillard reaction; moving it breaks the contact and restarts the clock. Flip once. Cook for another two minutes for a 3–4 cm sirloin to reach medium-rare, though thickness varies — trust the colour at the edges as your guide, not the clock. In the final 20 seconds, add the butter. Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the steak repeatedly. The butter emulsifies the meat's rendered fat and browns slightly, adding depth and flavour.

Transfer the steak to a warm plate and let it rest for four minutes. This allows the muscle fibres to relax and reabsorb the expelled juices — cut into it now and they'll run onto your plate instead. While it rests, halve the tomatoes and place them cut-side down in the same pan over high heat for 90 seconds. The exposed flesh caramelises and concentrates their flavour. Wipe the pan clean, lower the heat to medium, add a knob of butter, and crack in both eggs. Let the whites set fully and the yolks stay runny — about three minutes. The butter should foam gently, not brown.

Slice the steak against the grain — this shortens the muscle fibres and makes each bite tender. Plate the steak, lay the eggs alongside, scatter the tomatoes over, and pour the resting juices across the meat. The salt that seeped into those juices during rest will season the whole plate.