STK Steakhouse Served at Home

I found myself in NYC the other weekend staring blankly at the steakhouse menu of STK (www.stkhouse.com). My brain was desperately trying to catch up to the task at hand but the stunning mix of scantily clad hostesses, extremely attractive clientele, expansive first floor lounge, and early evening drinks had me elsewhere. Penned with the slogan "...not your dad's steakhouse," STK was selling the sex. The online "commercial" (with very little images of steak and food but instead flashes of women's lips and wind-blown hair) was, well, very true to form. New York City at its finest....

Oh right....

Back to the menu.

"Steak, please."

Zooming ahead - past the stories, the wine, the steak, the appetizers, a night without cameras, and a Vamoose bus back home - I was craving steak again.

There are only two things you really need to make a good steak:

• A good steak (seems obvious, but believe me, STK doesn't shop at Giant)
• A well-loved cast iron skillet

Learn that and you can improv the rest.  When you have a decently stocked fridge, the sides come easy.  I always keep sweet onions on hand, and this week, mushrooms were the vegetable du jour. From the pictures, you'll notice the dull, canned green beans (what can I say...I'm not cooking for company every night).  Here's what came together and the subsequent recipe.nbsp&;

Bone-In New York Strip Steak served with Sauteed mushrooms and Sweet onions  and a side of Green Beans


Ingredients:

• Grass Fed 12 oz Bone-In New York Strip Steak
• 1/2 Sweet Vidalia onion
• 1 8oz carton of mushrooms
• Salt, Pepper, Rosemary
• A splash of sherry wine
• A small slice of butter

As you know, timing is everything.  I figured the steak would take about 8-9ish minutes to cook and the mushrooms and onions about 10 minutes.  I did the mushroom-onion prep first, then re-used the cutting board to season the steak.  I planned on starting with the saute, and if I was off by a minute or two, I knew it could stay warm.

Sauteed Mushrooms and Vidalia (Sweet) Onions
3 minute prep. 10 minutes cook time.

1. Cut an onion in half and slice lengthwise to make long semi-circles
2. I bought precut mushrooms so I just put them on the cutting board and rough chopped them once or twice
3. Start a skillet, on medium with some olive oil
4. Throw in the onions and mushrooms after a minute or two.  Add some salt and pepper.
5. I added a small sliver of butter and a splash of sherry cooking wine to give the saute some liquid and a different flavor
6. Cook on medium for about 10 minutes - occasionally stir
7. The mushrooms will slightly darken, absorbing the liquid and the onions will begin to caramelize

• If you find that the liquid is evaporating, you can cover the pan for a few minutes to trap in the steam/moisture

Cast-Iron NY Strip Steak
3 minutes prep. 9 minutes cook time.

I like to keep my steaks simple.  In this case, I used salt, pepper, and a little bit of finely chopped rosemary.

1. Preheat the cast-iron skillet on medium-high
2. Season the steak
3. A well-seasoned cast iron skillet probably won't need any more oil so I put the steak directly in the skillet
4. I covered the steak with my make-shift lid and flipped it twice - 3/4 minutes in and also 7/8 minutes in.

And that was it. Pretty straight forward and while I didn't have the ambiance of STK, the steak was almost as tasty.  Once you get a hang of the cast-iron steak, the rest will fall in place The next time you're date is craving a beautiful petit filet or ribeye you'll be ready.