Steakhouse At Home

Grilled NY Strip with Horseradish Sauce, "Fully Loaded" Baked Potato & Oven Roasted Spring Asparagus

I love steakhouse meals but I don't always want to pay steakhouse prices, plus sometimes I don't want to worry about making reservations or getting a babysitter lined up. The good news is, most meals with the right ingredients are simple to make at home.  I love to take restaurant meals and personalize them, making them healthier! It makes dinner feel special, while saving you a ton of money and calories! For the price of one plate at a restaurant you can make a whole meal; with leftovers. P.S. the leftovers from this meal make a great spring frittata, recipe coming soon! But let us not deviate from what is important, Steak!

Let's talk steak!  First let's talk about pasture raised beef.  Its higher in omega-3's, vitamins A & E and much, much lower in fat and cholesterol than the feed lot or commercial raised cattle.  Because the pasture raised beef has less fat, you need to be very careful when cooking it. It cooks much faster and is less forgiving if you over cook it. Second, my favorite cut of steak is a NY strip, hands down! It's thick, juicy and has more marbling that a filet, which I happen to prefer. Fat equals flavor and I feel that a strip has enough fat to be tasty but not too much to make it an unhealthy cut.  The other way to keep yourself out of trouble, health wise, is to only eat half a steak.  My husband and I always share one and fill the rest of our place with veggies making us full and satisfied without feeling like you need a nap.

Now let's talk sides. I cannot have steak without a potato and I am partial to oven baked potatoes that are stuffed with whatever your heart desires!  I worked as a waitress in a steakhouse in SC and they always served dinosaur egg size baked potatoes with about 5 or 6 different toppings to chose from, and having all of them meant it was "fully loaded," Oh yeah! I like to recreate this little gem at home but I keep it healthy by cutting the size to more of a ostrich egg size potato and I always use local and all natural dairy toppings.  I always like to make one naughty side dish when making a restaurant inspired meal at home (I mean it does need to be a little naughty if its going to mimic your favorite restaurant accurately).  Then I like to make one very healthy side, for this meal I chose spring asparagus, my local grocery store had this year's first asparagus from a local farm; what's not to love? In season, local, just picked and incredibly cheap! Oven roasted asparagus it is!

The first asparagus of the season is sweet, tender and completely sublime!

That is the best way to shop, in my opinion. I always go and look at what is in season, on sale and looks the best.  Why buy inferior produce just because a recipe calls for it, be open to changing it up.  It's healthier, cheaper and much more delicious.  For example, I normally use chives when topping potatoes but the organic scallions at my grocery store were gorgeous and on sale, so I went with those:

Slightly sharp scallions give that onion kick you need when looking for a
raw onion flavor that doesn't overpower.

The other thing I take into consideration when making sides for a steak is whether the side is easy and low-key because I like to focus all of my attention on cooking the perfect steak, and I don't want to be babysitting a side dish, after all, it is all about the steak!  Both of my sides can cook in the same oven, on the same temperature and need no babysitting!

This meal is for two but can easily be doubled.

Ingredients

Steak

1 Pasture raised NY strip, 1lb.

Sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to season the outside of the steak.

Olive oil, for pan


Sauce

2 Tbsp pasture raised, organic sour cream

2 Tbsp prepared horseradish

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste.


Potatoes

2 Medium, organic, russet potatoes

1 Tbsp pasture raised,organic sour cream

1/2 Tbsp pasture raised, organic butter or butter substitute, I used Earth's Balance.

2 Tbsp of a sharp, strong cheese, I used an aged, rosemary manchego (the stronger the cheese the less of it you need to feel satisfied).

3 Organic scallions, finely chopped.

Sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste.


Asparagus

1 bunch young, spring asparagus

2 Tbsp olive oil

1Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

Sea salt & fresh ground pepper


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Take out your steak to rest and come to room temperature. This allows you to get the correct, crusty sear without overcooking your steak.

Wash potatoes and place in a baking dish.  Bake for 1 hour or until tender, meaning a butter knife can easily go all the way through.

In a small bowl combine all sauce ingredients and set aside.

Meanwhile, snap one asparagus till it breaks naturally. Cut all other asparagus to that same length.  Asparagus naturally break where the stem is tough and you are left with the tender, edible part.  Discard the tough parts, or save for stock.  Place asparagus on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and fresh ground pepper, toss to coat.  When potatoes have 15 minutes left, put the asparagus in the oven and finish with the potato's cooking time.

When you put your asparagus in the oven, preheat a grill pan, or cast iron pan on medium high heat.  Salt and pepper your steak on all sides, liberally.  Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in your pan and sear the steak on both sides, 6 to 7 minutes a side for medium rare.  Take out of the pan and set on a cutting board cover with foil and let rest.

When your potatoes are done, take out of the oven and cut a slit down the middle, squeeze the sides exposing the flesh of the potato, fill this with all of your toppings except the scallions.  I like to layer it: butter, sour cream and then cheese.  Place back on the baking pan and bake in the oven for about 2 to 3 minutes till the cheese has melted.  Place on top of a bed of the asparagus and top with the scallions and fresh ground pepper.

Cut the steak in half and serve with small amount of horseradish sauce on the side and the potato and asparagus. Enjoy and remember to tip!

Medium rare is all we serve in our house, but feel free to cook it more or less
to suit your family's tastes!

Did you know that it's perfectly acceptable, even in a restaurant, to pick up asparagus spears, without sauce and eat them with your hands?  How fun!!