Peppered beef fillet with beetroot salad

I will state right now that this is a bit of an odd recipe, and I’ve encountered many a quizzical friend who has watched me cooking this and found themselves wondering aloud whether I knew what I was doing. Fortunately, there is a certain method to my madness.

The surface of the beef is covered in pepper and then left in the fridge to form a dry crust, which magically means it doesn’t need to be seared, just cooked in a very hot oven. The timings are quite precise, so I always write