A Steak Dinner

I hadn't had a steak in years, until yesterday. My husband enjoyed his; mine is sitting wrapped-up in the icebox where he will probably finish it off as a midnight snack. It looked wonderful, smelled great, and probably tasted good, but I'm just not a steak eater and I couldn't get it down. That's true of many things lately, but especially beef. Yes, I recognise the humour of typing that sentence from my desk by the window looking at cattle but a 100 yards away. I think that's grounds for being asked to leave Nebraska-an inability to consume beef. Sadly, I rather dislike football as well. Um…"Go Big Red" anyway. Now can I stay?

First, let's discuss the rest of that plate in the photograph, as you'll be surprised just how simple it was to prepare.

The potatoes. Want to know the secret to perfect fried potatoes? Use good oil, and don't crowd them in the pan. That's pretty much it. I put them through a first "dip" in the oil at a moderate temperature and then remove them to a rack over a baking sheet to drain. Then, when the first batches are all draining, I increase the heat slightly and give them a second pass through the oil until golden. There you have it-perfect potatoes. Whatever you do, keep them off of paper towels though-that just makes for soggy chips. If you must, take the towel and blot off the excess oil-but never leave them sitting there in a heap to cool.

The tomato salad was also fairly simple. Slice a ripe tomato. Shred, or finely slice some strong hard cheese (I used a sheep's milk Romano) add some chopped basil, salt, pepper a bit of olive and balsamic vinegar. If you like olives (and I do) sliver some on as well. You could make this more substantial with the addition of some fresh mozzarella, or feta.

The green beans. I steamed them, refreshed them under cold running water to keep them green and then buttered them and tossed with salt and pepper. Simple, delicious and very quick.

The steak was prepared in the same pan with the mushrooms and onions making it a time saver when cleaning up. This is also the same technique I use for lamb chops.

For an 11 oz. Steak (or up to 2 lbs of lamb chops)

Steak
Salt and pepper
1-tablespoon olive oil
Flour
16 ounces mushrooms
2 large shallots, sliced thinly
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tablespoons butter
1-cup beef broth
½ cup dry red wine

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Dredge the steaks in flour, add salt and pepper, and brown over medium/high heat until well browned. Remove to a plate. Add the butter, garlic, shallots, and the mushrooms and cook over medium heat for about four minutes. You may need more butter, but give the mushrooms a chance to throw off some water first, if they still seem too dry, go ahead and add a second tablespoon. Add the beef broth and wine and simmer until reduced by 1/3. Add the steaks and cover. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until tender.