I haven't had a chance to post in recent weeks as my daughter and son-inlaw have moved in with us while their new home is being built. We have finally settled in together and a new routine of life is developing. I missed my new hobby of food blogging so I chose this dish to post as it's easy to make and will please our new extended family household. Mashed potatoes is a crowd pleaser, but liven those babies up with Romano cheese, garlic, herbs and an olive oil deep fry.... Oh God are they good.
The steaks are a lesson in the basics of cooking. Simple can be so elegant, and the taste is unparalleled. There is one rule when you showcase a steak like this. It must be a good piece of meat! We are hiding nothing here, the meat is the star. Think of it as a person singing A cappella, they are either amazing, or in your face bad! That's were the elegance comes in. If the taste is great and there is nothing to hide, then it is truly elegant.
On a sad note not everyone likes steak, so we can substitute a chicken breast. No really, those people are among us and we must try to understand them. If that's too much to ask, I ask you to be the bigger person and accommodate them. As a society we must be tolerant of meat challenged people like, my son-in-law. There I said it. You were bound to see that many of my post were chickenocentric. I don't understand, he likes beer? I am still in denial.
Ingredients-
2 lbs Potatoes
1/2lb Butter
4 cloves Garlic
Milk
1 cup grated Romano Cheese
Fresh Parsley
2 Eggs
Flour
Bread Crumbs (Italian)
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive Oil (bulk)
Good Steaks (NY Strip, Delmontico, Tenderlion) or Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets)
Fresh Mushrooms
Onions
Make it-
Open your favorite beer first and pour it into a tall glass. Now layout your steaks, or chicken fillets with a sigh, and hit both sides generously with kosher salt and black pepper. We want the meat to rest for awhile as the salt works on it. If you usually take meat right from the fridge to the grill, you'll be amazed how much better the steak taste with simple step of seasoning and waiting.
Now peel the potatoes, place them along with cleaned garlic, kosher salt and black pepper into a large pot. Add enough water to cover potatoes, then gently boil with a tilted cover until potatoes are soft. We will season the potatoes again when mashing, but it's nice to get those flavors started early. Adding the garlic cloves now is how I make garlic mashed potatoes and they have a great flavor. The taste is so much better than garlic powder and not hard at all.
While our potatoes are cooking I'm making a tasty garnish of caramelized onions and mushrooms. Though the steak can stand alone, a few onions and mushrooms on it will dress up the presentation and taste unbelievable. I like to sauté then simply with kosher salt and black pepper, in a couple of teaspoons of butter and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Are you thinking of adding peppers to the garnish? Don't wait for permission, these are cooking guidelines, make it the way you like. Hot peppers would be unbelievable on the Delmontico steaks I'm cooking here.
After the potatoes are fork tender, at least a beer and a half ago, I add 3/4 stick of salted butter a splash of milk and mash them. You don't add as much milk here as you would for whipped potatoes because we will want them a bit stiffer to make patties for frying. Next taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper to your preference. Isn't the garlic in there amazing?! Finally, add about a cup of grated Romano cheese and chopped parsley leaves. Mix it together and chill in the refrigerator until you can handle the mixture.
While that is cooling, I fill a deep electric skillet with about 1/2 inch of olive oil for frying and start warming it up. Also fire that grill for the steaks up. I have a great indoor grill that makes this easy for me, if you don't, sorry that sucks, but you'll have to figure it out for yourself. Again, the guidelines theme applies.
When the potato mix can be handled, I form small patties, if they are too big they might break apart while you handle them. Dredge them in flour (seasoned lightly with salt and pepper), then egg and Italian bread crumbs. Obviously repeat for all the mix. You'll have a lot of potato patties, but they will go fast, and they reheat great.
Throw those steaks on the hot grill now with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. They won't take long, but we want to let them stand for a few minutes before you plate them. That allows the meat to reabsorb it's tasty juices. I want my steak to bleed, but you'll have to please the consumer.
Fry the potato pancakes in hot oil until a few minutes on each side until they are a golden brown. The oil must be hot and sizzle when you put them in or they'll get soggy. Remove them with a slotted spatula, letting them drain a moment over the fryer. The remaining oil will absorb into the coating in seconds when they are on the serving platter.
Remove your steak, when it's done to your pleasure, and let it rest for a few minutes for full flavor. I plate the steak with a couple of pancakes, then garnish it with a generous portion of caramelized onions and mushrooms. I think a nice bright green veggie would have added to this plate.
This was a three beer recipe. Enjoy!
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