Man's Perfect Dinner #1: The Perfect Steak

S T E A K

Five simple letters that when put together, get the attention of any man. I am not the biggest meat eater, but I have friends that could eat hunk of beef every day. My mother makes the best steak, and I wanted to share her recipe with you. I will post photos up hopefully this weekend, I just need a few volunteers for steak eating.

Pair this hunk of meat with potatoes and killer chocolate desert, and ladies, we have a winner. I hear a Valentine's Day dinner in your near future.... :)

The Meat
1 steak, thick cut
1 1/2 tbs butter
1 tbs rosemary
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper

You want to make sure you get a nice cut of beef. AND never get a lean cut... steak needs to be fatty so it stays juicy. This recipe is meant for a thick piece of meat. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter and olive oil in pan on highest heat. Add the rosemary and garlic. Let the herbs and garlic infuse the butter. If you have a cast iron skillet, this would be good to use.

Pepper each side of your steak. DON'T salt it first as that draws the juices out; we reserve that until after steak is finished. Sear both sides of the steak until a golden crust appears, about 30 seconds per side. Be careful! I put a splatter shield over the pan to not have hot oil spurting all over my kitchen. Not recommended, but you can use a pan cover. BUT if you do, only leave it covering 1/3 of the pan, with that side facing you, to protect you, but do not cover it all the way. This is so we don't steam cook the steak and undo the effect of the crust we are creating.

Finish the steak in the hot oven. Depending on how you like your meat, this is about as long as you should keep it in: 3 minutes for rare,  4 for pink/medium, 5 for well done. Remember, the steak keeps cooking when you take it out, so watch it carefully.You want to leave it to rest for about, 3-4 minutes before you slice into it. Just set it on a cutting board or a plate.

To finish the steak, sprinkle it with salt and just pour the rosemary, garlic, melted butter over the top of it. Simple, easy, and perfect. If you are looking for more flavor, variations would to be to rub the steak first with smoky barbeque seasoning, crushed tarragon, parsley, Cajun spices, etc. But the technique remains the same.

For your side dishes, I have made 2 recipes that would work PERFECTLY. The Upside Down Potato and Onion Tart and my Belgium Chocolate Pudding with Creme Fraiche.A big steak, some potatoes, and a delicious desert. Trust me, these 3 things together will garauntee you a foot massage and lots of love by the end of the night.