Steak with Blue Cheese Butter and Walnut Salad is serious comfort food and takes only 5 minutes to prepare, which is perfect for those times when you have just come home from work and need some real food fast SERVES 2

Ingredients 

FOR THE STEAKS:

2 sirloin or ribeye steaks, approx 6-8 oz each, excess fat removed

A drizzle of olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

FOR THE BLUE CHEESE BUTTER:

1 oz blue cheese, rind removed

2 tbsp butter

Freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE SALAD:

2 handfuls of a mixture of watercress, arugula and baby spinach

A drizzle of olive oil (about 1 tbsp)

A small squeeze of lemon juice (about 1/2–1 tsp)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp chopped walnuts, tossed over the heat in a dry pan until golden

Method 

Place the pan for the steaks on the heat. Drizzle the steaks with olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper, then allow to sit while the pan heats up.

To make the blue cheese butter, mash together the blue cheese and the butter in a bowl. Add some black pepper, then form into a log and wrap in plastic.

Pop in the fridge to cool, or the freezer if you have just a few minutes.

When the pan is very hot, sprinkle the steaks with sea salt and place in the pan. 

Cook until one side turns a deep golden color and is seared, then turn over and cook until they are how you like them, 1–2 minutes for rare, about 4 minutes for medium or 8–10 minutes on a lower heat (so they don’t burn) for well done. 

The cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the steaks and the heat of the pan. 

When the steaks are cooked, take them off the heat and allow to rest while you toss the salad leaves with the olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. 

Put the steaks on warm plates and top with slices of blue cheese butter. 

Serve with the dressed leaves sprinkled with chopped walnuts.