Three Amazing Recipes From One Of Downtown's Best Restaurants

FOR THE TARTARE:
1/2 pound boneless bison, strip loin, or other very lean cut of steak, as bloody as you can find it
2 teaspoons finely diced onion
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Chile flakes
Espelette pepper
Rasps of lemon zest
1 teaspoons pickled elderberries or small capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cabernet vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon well-beaten egg yolk
Toasted bread, for serving

FOR THE SUNCHOKE CHIPS:
4 medium to large sun chokes, thoroughly washed and scrubbed
6 to 8 cups neutral oil, for deep-frying
Kosher salt

Make the sun choke chips:
Using a mandolin or very sharp knife, slice the sun chokes into 1/16-inch-thick slices, so they're thin enough to curl a bit but not so thin that they feel paper-like or flimsy. You may have to break off some of the bumpy arms if they're quite large, but you can then slice those too. Soak the chips in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

Heat about 4 inches of neutral oil to 300 degrees to 325 degrees in a medium pot. Fry the sun chokes, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate or cutting board and season with a sprinkle of salt.

Make the tartare:
Use a mandolin to slice your frozen steak into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then slice those into 1/4-inch-wide strips and cut them into 1/4-inch cubes. Weigh out 7 ounces of steak, put it in a small bowl, and add a pinch of salt and the fish sauce. Mix together against the sides and bottom of the bowl - you want to try to coax out a little bit of blood this way, stirring and pressing, stirring and pressing. Once the meat looks bright and vibrant and tiny, add a pinch of chile flakes, a smaller pinch of Espelette, the diced onion, about 10 rasps of lemon zest, and the elderberries and mix to combine. Add the olive oil and mix to coat the meat, then add the vinegar and lemon juice. Be sure not to overmix the tartare; you don't want it to get creamy or cloudy. Add the egg yolk, folding it in gently. The tartare should taste bright but balanced, with no one ingredient overpowering the others; adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Take a small handful of sun choke chips and crush them in your hand, then scatter them over the tartare in small pieces. You want some pieces to be smaller than the steak cubes and some pieces to be bigger. Mix, if you like.

To serve, in the center of two plates or shallow bowls, divide the tartare, spreading it out with the tip of a pairing knife.