PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK LOADER

Beef tartare is one of my favorite dishes, hands down. It’s adaptable to any season, pairs well with almost any drink, and can be dressed up or down to your liking.

In my opinion, there are only three requirements when making an exceptional tartare: Use the highest-quality, locally raised grass-fed beef that you can find and cut it by hand; don’t be stingy on adding fats like olive oil, egg yolks, cheeses, nuts, or an aioli; and always add something punchy to balance out the dish like pickles, radish, capers, your favorite vinegar, or your favorite hot sauce. Lastly, I like to serve mine with grilled bread, but feel free to use potato chips, crackers, etc.

If you don’t feel like making your own tartare, check in with us at the Prairie Whale where we serve it from time to time. This is just as much a guide as a recipe. Add more or less of any ingredient you like.  

Beef Tartare

By Dan Studwell

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Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

  

• 5 ounces top round grass-fed beef
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 2 –3 teaspoons chopped capers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 teaspoons finely chopped cornichons
• 2 tablespoons finely diced daikon radish
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Manchego cheese
• ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste (I use Maldon)
• Juice of ¼–½ a lemon
• Black pepper to taste
• Pinch of chili flakes
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley

For serving

• Toasted bread or crackers
• Daikon radish for garnish
• Optional garnish: Horseradish, trout roe

Instructions

 

• It’s easiest to cut the meat when it’s very cold. Some people like to even put it in the freezer for 20 minutes or so. Using your sharpest knife, slice the meat into ⅛- to ¼-inch slices. Slice it again into strips ¼-inch wide, then dice those strips up. (No need to be too precise. It’s nice to have some texture here.) Once the meat is all diced up, put it in a bowl and back into the fridge to keep cold.
• Prep and combine the remaining ingredients.
• Remove the beef from the fridge and combine everything together in a bowl and mix.
• Prepare bread by toasting it either in a pan with olive oil or butter or on a grill. Let cool. Cut some radish as thin as you can with a knife or mandolin.
• Arrange the tartare on a plate. Top with radish and optional horseradish and trout roe. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on top and serve with bread or crackers. Or enjoy it however you desire. Salt and vinegar chips work, too.

Notes

PHILIPPE JEANJEAN’S SUGGESTED WINE PAIRING 

This dish is fun, so the best pairing will be a light and low tannins red wine, and there is a wide choice: either a classic Gamay from Beaujolais, a grenache from Rioja, or a Barbera from Piemonte. And if you feel adventurous, try a low tannins Bobal from southern Spain or a Dolcetto from Piemonte in Italy. 

Prairie Whale 
178 Main St. , Great Barrington 
413-528-5050 | prairiewhale.com