Rump cap with quick chimichurri and salardaise potatoes

Rump cap steaks (or picanha) is a Brazilian cut of steak that is very popular at churrasco (Brazilian barbecue), often served with chimichurri, a spicy herbed sauce. Try this barbecue favourite with classic French salardaise potatoes – a dish comprised of thinly sliced potatoes cooked with garlic and parsley until crisp.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 beef rump cap (picanha), about 1.5 kg
• Salt and black pepper
• ¼ cup vegetable oil

Quick chimichurri

• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 3 thin spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ cup good-quality olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Sugar and salt, to season

Salardaise potatoes

• 60 g duck fat
• 400 g potatoes, cut into 1 cm slices
• Salt
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Resting time: 1 hour

Instructions

1. To make the chimichurri, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl, seasoning well with salt and sugar to taste. Allow to stand for 1 hour before using.
   
2. To make the saladaise potatoes, melt the duck fat in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the potatoes and fry until lightly golden. Add the garlic and continue to fry until the potatoes are deeply golden. Add ¼ cup of water and season well with salt. Cover and cook the potatoes until tender and the water has evaporated. Season with salt again and stir through the parsley to serve.
   
3. To make the rump cap, use a sharp knife to score the beef rump cat fat layer in a cross-hatch pattern, then slice into 6 cm thick steaks. Skewer the steaks onto long metal skewers, creating a C-shape (2-3 steaks per skewer). Season the steaks well on all sides with salt and pepper and drizzle with the vegetable oil.
   
4. Heat a barbecue or chargrill plate over medium heat, until very hot. Sear the steaks on both sides until well-browned. Sear the fat cap to render some of the fat. Cook, turning occasionally for 20 minutes, or until the steaks register an internal temperature of 50˚C. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes before thickly slicing.
   
5. Serve the barbecued rump cap with the quick chimichurri and salardaise potatoes.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.