Do you feel like taking on a challenge in the kitchen this weekend? We have just the recipe: a prize-winning beef strip loin with a sunflower seed and anchovy pesto from chef Jack Rice.

Originally from Limerick, Rice works as senior chef de partie at Comet restaurant in Dublin, under the stewardship of Kevin O’Donnell. A fan of open-fire cooking and fermentation, he has also built experience in JORO restaurant in England, Kadeau in Denmark and Lignum in Co Galway. He was named Euro-Toques young chef of the year last month, with this dish his winning recipe; helpfully, he has made it a little simpler for Irish Times readers. He urges you to seek out Dexter beef if you can.

Beef strip loin with a sunflower seed and anchovy pesto (serves four)

Ingredients

For the strip loin of beef

• 1 strip loin of beef on the bone
• Fine salt
• Maldon salt
• 20g olive oil
• 100g butter
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 sprigs of thyme

For the sunflower seed and anchovy pesto

• 100g sunflower seeds
• 50g butter
• 1 tin anchovies
• 3g cider vinegar
• Salt
• Chopped chives and chopped parsley

Method

1. Cook the beef

Remove the beef from the fridge at least one hour before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 110°C.

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Season the beef generously with fine salt. Heat a cast-iron pan until it begins to smoke gently. Sear the beef on both sides for about two minutes, until a crust starts to form.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the butter, thyme and garlic, and baste the beef on both sides to enhance the crust and add flavour.

Transfer the beef to an oven tray fitted with a rack. Cook for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until the core temperature reaches 45°C.

Remove the beef from the oven and allow it to rest for the same length of time as it was cooked.

1. Make the sunflower seed and anchovy pesto

Melt the butter in a pan and fry the sunflower seeds until golden brown. Strain the butter and set it aside for later.

Roughly chop the sunflower seeds and anchovies, then mix them with the chopped parsley and chives. Season with salt and cider vinegar, adding some of the reserved butter used to fry the sunflower seeds.

1. Dress the salad

Dress the salad leaves with the sunflower seed and anchovy pesto. Bitter leaves, such as radicchio or Castelfranco, work particularly well, but crisp lettuce leaves are also a good option.

1. To plate

Remove the beef from the bone and carve it against the grain. Season the cut surfaces with Maldon salt.

Arrange the beef in the centre of each plate and serve the dressed salad over the top.

Jack Rice is a member of Euro-Toques Ireland, a community of chefs, cooks and food producers dedicated to preserving the integrity and authenticity of Irish culinary traditions. Its members champion food culture rooted in quality, provenance and respect for producers, while mentoring the next generation of chefs to carry these values forward.