How do you like your steak cooked Dad?

Fathers Day deserves a blokey food post, and what better blokey food post than a steak. I reckon medium-rare is the best way to cook a steak.  The longer you cook a steak, the tougher and drier it gets. Medium-rare steaks give you the maximum amount of tenderness and juiciness while ensuring that the centre of the steak is actually warm. It also allows the little flecks of fat to melt through the meat, giving the steak that wonderful flavour.

Medium-rare is when the meat is pretty much pink, with a bit of red in the middle. You really want to get some heat inside the meat. You don't want to it look like a good vet could get it back up on its feet in ten minutes.

To cook, the first thing I do is dry the meat out on some paper towels. I heat a griddle pan till it's smoking with just a spray of oil (remember you want to fat inside the meat to do you work for you).

Now the timing is the tricky part. I usually cook my steak three minutes either side to get medium-rare, then of course I rest it wrapped in alfoil for about 8-10 minutes.

But to tell if it's cook, I press the centre of the steak with my finger.

If my finger sinks in and the steak feels soft or mushy, it's not done yet. Give it another minute. If the steak gives just a little bit when pressed and springs right back, that's medium-rare. If it doesn't give at all or feels firm or hard, that's medium or beyond. And therefore beyond rescue.

Serve with caramelised onions (finely chop onions, saute in olive oil and a dob of butter until soft, then add a splash of balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of brown sugar, and cook for another five minutes).

And a baked potato (scrub the spud under water then stab it 4-5 times with a sharp knife, put in the microwave on a paper towel, cook on high for six minutes, cut roughly in quarters, slop in some sour cream and a finely chopped spring onion).

If you want, toss together spinach leaves, rocket, quartered cherry tomatoes, sliced snow peas and half a chopped avo, sprinkly very lightly with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice, and serve on the side.

Happy Fathers Day xo