Steak Au Poivre

Ingredients

2 petite rib-eye steaks, 14-16 oz total
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 minced shallot
2 thyme sprigs
1 medium clove garlic, cut in half
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef broth
¼ cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions

Lightly pound the steaks with a meat mallet to an even thickness, ½ inch thick.

Season steaks all over with kosher salt. Set on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and allow to air-dry, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Crack peppercorns into rough halves and quarters. You can use a pepper mill set to its coarsest setting (though not all pepper mills will crack coarsely enough); or, perhaps best, a large mallet, meat pounder, or skillet to crush them (wrap the peppercorns in a clean kitchen towel first to contain them).

Spread cracked peppercorns and firmly press one side of each steak into the pepper to encrust it in an even layer. Set each steak aside, peppercorn side up. Reserve any remaining cracked peppercorns. (Exactly how much pepper adheres will depend on the dimensions of the steaks. You should have some pepper remaining, but if not, you can crack more to completely coat one side of each steak.)

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add steaks, peppercorn side down, and cook until peppercorns are well toasted about 3 minutes. Carefully turn steaks, trying not to break the peppercorn crust. Add butter, thyme, and garlic and cook, basting steaks with a spoon, until steaks are well seared on the second side. Remove from heat and place the steaks on serving plates.

Discard garlic and thyme. Add butter, shallot and any reserved cracked peppercorns, return to medium heat and cook, stirring until shallot is tender about 2 minutes.
Add broth and bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up any browned bits. Whisk in cream, then simmer, stirring often, until the sauce has reduced enough to glaze a spoon. Whisk in mustard. Pour the sauce over the steaks and serve.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

3 pounds small yellow potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400° F (200°C).
Cut the potatoes in half and put them in a bowl. Toss with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
Transfer to a large enough sheet pan or baking dish and spread out the potatoes in one layer, cut side down.

Roast in the middle of the oven for 50-60 min flipping them twice during cooking until browned and cooked through.

Take them out of the oven and toss with parsley before serving.

Green Beans With Mushrooms And Almonds

Ingredients

1pound trimmed green beans
4 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 whole scallion, thinly sliced white and green parts
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds

Directions

Blanch green beans for 5 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain and dry on a clean kitchen towel.
Place a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and unsalted butter. Add mushrooms and saute until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sliced scallions, saute 1 minute more. Add green beans and season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan to a serving bowl and finish with 1/2 cup toasted almonds. Toss and serve.

Posted by Jovina Coughlin in Beef, green beans, mushrooms, Nuts, potatoes, scallions Tags: peppercorns