Tag: Potatoes

Seared Steak with Tomato Pesto and Baked Potatoes Recipe

A smoky, texture-rich, and flavorful restaurant-grade seared steak is closer than you think thanks to this outstanding recipe for Seared Steak with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Baked Potatoes from Food52.

Ingredients for Seared Steak Recipe

  • 2 1-1 ¼ inch-thick steaks (bone-in ribeye, T-bone, or porterhouse)
  • 2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed
  • 8 (or more) sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed
  • 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed, divided
  • 8 ounces mushrooms (baby bella, oyster, or shiitake with stems removed)
  • ¼ cup of walnuts, toasted
  • 3 ½ cups of basil leaves, loosely-packed
  • 4 to 6 sprigs of rosemary
  • 4 to 6 sprigs of sage
  • 4 to 6 sprigs of thyme, tied with twine
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 6tablespoons of avocado oil, divided
  • ½ to ¾ cups of olive oil
  • Chopped chives, for serving
  • Crème fraîche, for serving
  • Pink peppercorns, freshly ground
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more
  • Kosher salt

Directions for Seared Steak Recipe

  1. You’ll begin this recipe by preparing the steaks ahead of time, roughly 8 to 48 hours in advance. Arrange your 2 steaks atop a rimmed baking sheet. Pat the steaks dry with a couple paper towels to remove any excess oil. Season both sides with a few pinches of salt and freshly ground pink peppercorns. Place in the refrigerator uncovered for 8-48 hours.
  2. When you’re ready to cook, remove the steaks from the fridge and set them on the counter, letting them come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Arrange your potatoes onto a baking sheet, coat them with 2 tablespoons of the avocado oil, and season them with salt. Bake the potatoes for about 55 minutes, flipping them after 30 minutes. Continue cooking them until they are fork tender.
  3. While the potatoes bake, pulse your 3 cloves of garlic, basil, walnuts, tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of your salt, and ½ teaspoon of your black pepper in a food processor. While the motor is still running, drizzle in ½ cup of the olive oil and continue to pulse for another 30 seconds. Scrape the sides and continue to pulse until it’s blended and the mixture is coarse. Taste, and add more tomatoes, if desired. If you’d prefer the mixture to be smoother, drizzle in an additional ¼ cup of oil and continue to pulse. Transfer the pesto to a medium bowl and taste for salt.
  4. Once you flip the potatoes after 30 minutes, you’ll warm the remaining ¼ cup of avocado oil in a 12-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the steaks, and weigh them down with another cast-iron skillet or cast-iron skillet weight. Cook while continuing to weigh the steaks down after you flip them, for about 4 minutes on each side, until both sides are browned. If your steaks have a fat cap, turn each steak and sear the fat side down for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the fat has rendered and is golden brown.
  5. Now it’s time to add your herb bundle, 2 tablespoons of the butter, and your remaining garlic to the steak bybasting the top. Continue to cook the steaks until your desired degree of “doneness.” Transfer the steaks to a wire rack or plate and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  6. While the steaks rest, reduce the heat to medium heat, cook the mushrooms, and toss them with the herbs and garlic, for about 5 to 7 minutes, just until the mushrooms are tender and golden. Season them with salt and black pepper.
  7. Cut open the potatoes, season them with salt and black pepper, and top each with 1 tablespoon of the butter, the crème fraîche, and chives. Spoon the pesto onto the steaks and serve with the cooked mushrooms and a baked potato on the side.
  8. Enjoy!

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The Best Roasted Potatoes Around

Potatoes, when prepared and cooked right, are certainly a crowd-pleaser, and this meticulous recipe for excellent roasted potatoes from Serious Eats is no exception. This recipe will produce potatoes that are extremely flavorful, crispy, and creamy all at once. They’re delicious inside and out, and you’re guaranteed to finish the entire batch with this tested recipe. 

Ingredients for Roasted Potatoes

Kosher Salt

½ teaspoon of baking soda

4 lbs of russet or Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled & divided)

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Small handful of rosemary leaves (finely chopped)

3 medium cloves of garlic (minced)

Freshly ground black pepper

Small handful of fresh parsley leaves (minced)

 

Directions for Roasted Potatoes

  1. Adjust your oven so that your rack is in the center position and preheat the oven to 450°F. At the same time, heat 2 quarts of water in a large pot over high heat until it’s boiling. Add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, baking soda, and potatoes to the water once boiling. Stir it together, return it to a boil, and then reduce it to a simmer. Cook it until you can stick a knife into a potato piece, and it only is met with a little resistance. This is typically 10 minutes after returning the pot to a boil.
  2. At the same time, combine your olive oil (or fat substitute such as duck or beef fat) with rosemary, garlic, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper in a small saucepan. Heat the pan over medium heat, cooking, stirring, and shaking the can constantly. Continue this until the garlic just begins to turn golden, which will be after about 3 minutes. Once the garlic is barely golden, strain the oil through a fine mesh strainer that’s set in a large bowl. Set your garlic and rosemary mixture aside, reserving it separately.
  3. Once your potatoes are cooked, drain them carefully, and let them rest in the pot for about 30 seconds, allowing the excess moisture to evaporate. Transfer the potatoes to the bowl with the infused oil, toss them to coat, and add salt and pepper to taste. Shake the bowl roughly until you’re left with a thick layer of paste that’s similar to a mashed potato-like texture. This paste should be built up on top of your larger potato chunks.
  4. Transfer the potatoes to a large rimmed baking sheet and separate them by spreading them out evenly. Transfer the sheet to your preheated oven and roast them without moving for about 20 minutes. Afterwards, use a thin, flexible metal spatula to release any stuck potatoes, then shake the pan and turn them over. Continue roasting them until they are a deep brown color and are crisp all over. You can ensure this by shaking and turning them throughout the cooking process. Continue roasting them for 30-40 minutes longer.
  5. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and add the garlic and rosemary mixture along with some minced parsley. Toss the bowl to coat, and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Then, serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes:

If you want your final product to have crispier crusts and fluffier centers, then Russet potatoes are your best bet, though if you’d prefer to have your potatoes slightly less crisp with a creamier center and a generally darker color/deeper flavor, then Yukon Gold is your ingredient.

Your potatoes should be cut into very large chunks (at least 2 to 3 inches). Medium-sized yukon golds can be cut in half diagonally and then split again to be quartered. For Russets or larger Yukon Golds, then you can simply cut them into chunky sixths or eighths.

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