Fillet steaks with mushrooms & potatoes
( Filetto con funghi e patate )

Recipe for mushroom-and-potato fillet steaks

Preparation and cooking

• - Prepare mushrooms and onion.
  Clean mushrooms according to the instructions described in our specific page dedicated to mushrooms. Link below!
  Chop onion finely.
• - Cooking.
  Put 1 tablespoon olive oil, bay leaf and onion in a non-stick frying pan.
  Saute, stirring now and then, on low heat.
  Add mushrooms, season to taste with salt and let them flavor, stirring now and then.
  Pour in Marsala wine and let it evaporate partially.
  Add parsley and chives.
  Continue simmering gently for 10 minutes, half-covered, stirring now and then.
  Mushrooms generally release a bit of fluid that is usually sufficient for their cooking. Otherwise add a ladle of boiling water or broth.
  Uncover and simmer for a further 10 minutes until your sauce thickens.
  Mushrooms are ready to serve.
  Meanwhile preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
  Cut potatoes into large pieces and place them in an oiled (use the other 2 tablespoons olive oil) shallow ovenproof dish with rosemary and sage.
  Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently.
  Add salt and paprika in the last minutes.
  At the end, cook fillet steaks.
  Heat butter in a non-stick frying pan and add steaks.
  Cook for two minutes, turn over and cook for a further two minutes.
  Cook for a little longer if you prefer well-done steaks (if you want, you can add the steaks over the potatoes, in the oven, in the last minutes or in the saucepan with mushrooms).

Just before serving

• - Assemble potatoes, mushrooms and meat in the same serving platter or individual plates.
  Serve at once.

Note

Tips

• - Prepare mushrooms and potatoes in advance. Cook fillet at last minute. Assemble your dish just before serving.
• - If you serve veal fillet with mushrooms and potatoes in a formal meal make sure that the cut of the meat is excellent. You should contact a family butcher.

Menu planning

• - The veal fillet steaks with potatoes and mushrooms can be served in Sunday family meal but I suggest you to prepare it for a special occasion. It's too rich in fat and calories to become a common main dish in your weekly plan. Besides it's is a cut of meat too expensive.
• - On the contrary it's perfect to be served in a typical Italian menu for special occasions. In fact it matches well with other authentic Italian dishes. Here are two menu ideas of mine! Link below, in the next paragraph.
• - Refined menu for autumn.
  Starter: begin with assorted antipasto with seasonal ingredients.
  First course: baked rice wrapped in raw ham
  Second course: this recipe of mine with veal meat
  Dessert: I'd choose a dessert with seasonal ingredients such as grape-and-amaretti tart or clementine-and-chocolate tart or caprese cake.
• - Refined menu for all seasons
  Starter: assorted crostini with different sauces and vegetables, Tuscan style crostini.
  First course: spaghetti tossed with puttanesca sauce
  Second course: the veal recipe I've just described
  Dessert: my choice would be apple tart (everyone likes it!!!) or fruit tart according to the season.
• - Match a red wine in the list I suggest below without any problem to both menus.

Useful links for this recipe

• - Here are the recipes for the suggested antipasto platter in both menus: assorted antipasto with seasonal ingredients for refined menu and Tuscan-style crostini for rustic menu idea. You can also consult our Italian starter and appetizer area. It's easy to browse inside. Look at the navigation bar at the top of the page of every recipe and thematic path below it.
• - If you are interested in refined menu, this is the link for baked rice wrapped in raw ham.
  If you like more the second menu, your first dish is puttanesca spaghetti.
• - Consult our dessert and cake list to look for your favorite Italian sweet or what I have just suggested above!
• - Other mushroom recipes, Italian style?
  Or more curious about mushrooms from the commercial, nutritional and culinary point of view? follow the link!

Healthy eating

• - As you can see fillet with mushrooms and potatoes is not exactly a dish with few calories and fat.
  Its caloric intake comes mainly from the high amount of seasonings and meat portion which is higher than normal (portion of meat per day per person = 100g - 3 1/2 ounces).
  Another note: it may also be very tasty to combine butter and oil, but then you have to pay the consequences. Think about it every time you are offered tantalizing recipes like this one. They can not become the normal diet. On the contrary they must be the exception.

Loretta

What's the right wine for " Fillet steaks with mushrooms & potatoes "?

I generally choose the wine among Merlot, Pinot Nero or Cirò rosso (wine from Calabria). My husband and I like organic wines from Le Carline company. Its Merlot is fantastic. Test it and believe me! You can find this company in Veneto near Caorle and Venice.