Steak and Potatoes...of a sort!

This menu, from Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys by David Tanis, is entitled "Dead-of-Winter Dinner from the Supermarket." Now, wait a minute...it's not winter! I know, I know, but I was intrigued by this menu because of something the author says in the introduction to this group of recipes. David Tanis was upset by the amount of pre-packaged foods and pre-made condiments on the shelves at his local supermarket. "The companies that make all these prepared sauces prey on our fear of cooking, and on the notion that we somehow inherently believe we do not have time to cook." This sentence really struck a chord with me, because that's essentially what I'm trying to counteract with this blog! Anybody can cook from scratch, any night of the week, and this menu is a perfect example of fresh, easy-to-find ingredients being pulled together to make a delicious, well-balanced meal in the span of an hour. I thought this would take me much longer, but it really came together quickly and easily...a weeknight meal that anybody could put together!

First up on the menu, we have Romaine Hearts with Shaved Parmigiano and Lemon Dressing. This was a really simple one to pull together. You can buy romaine hearts in a package of three, at the grocery store. I only used two since there were two of us, chopped off the ends and cut them into large pieces. The dressing consists of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, dijon mustard, a garlic clove smashed to a paste with a bit of salt, and some olive oil. Once everything is whisked together, it can be seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. After tossing the lettuce with the dressing, I added some Parmigiano flakes to the salad and tossed again. This was a really delicious salad, along the lines of a Caeser, but not. It's simple, it uses ingredients that you most likely have lying around the house, and pulls together quickly and easily!

The main course is a Pan-Fried Steak with Steak Sauce. The steaks you buy should be about an inch thick, but the recipe gives a lot of leeway for the reader to decide which kind of steak to purchase. After seasoning them with a bit of salt and pepper, I placed some sliced garlic on top of each steak, coated them with olive oil, rubbed everything into the meat and then allowed everything to sit at room temperature for a little bit. When it was time to cook, I heated a cast iron pan until it was really hot, and then placed the steaks in the pan, after removing the garlic slices. After 3 minutes, I flipped the steaks to find a beautiful sear on the first side. After two more minutes, I transferred the meat to a platter, and poured some beef stock into the pan, de-glazing with a wooden spoon. As the stock thickened, I threw in a few pats of butter and some parsley. This made a really delicious, and HOME-MADE, steak sauce that beats any pre-packaged sauce at the store. And what's even better - you can pronounce everything in it!

While I let the steaks sit with their olive oil and garlic slices, I prepared a Classic Potato Gratin, and put it in the oven. Here's where a mandoline comes in really handy. I quickly, and thinly, sliced 4 russet potatoes, and layered them in a baking pan that I had thickly slatered with some butter. As I completed a layer, I seasoned it with salt and pepper, before starting the next layer. Once all the potatoes were in the baking dish, I poured some heavy cream on top, tilting the pan to and fro a bit to distribute everything evenly. Finely, I dotted the surface with small pieces of butter before placing it in a 375 degree oven. I forgot to cover the pan with foil for the first half hour it was in the oven, but I think it's okay. The potatoes came out creamy, well-seasoned and delicious!

Last but not least, of course, is the dessert! This was a really simple Broiled Pineapple with Rum. All I had to do was cut my pineapple, sprinkle the slices with some brown sugar, and broil them for about 10 minutes. Once the slices were slightly browned, I removed them from the oven and poured some rum on top. With a lighter, I gently lit the rum in order to flambe the pineapple slices. ready to serve! This was a really tropical dessert that was totally simple to make, and it only took 10 minutes! 

This was a really simple meal to put together for a weeknight. I loved the simplicity of the ingredients, and the complexity of the finished flavors. And on top of all that, this menu proves, without a doubt, that we can make home-cooked meals without the use of pre-packaged, pre-made ingredients! Buy fresh, and make your own, because there really is no substitute for homemade!