Blue Steak and Potatoes

Since the birth of my beautiful, darling, son 4 years ago, most Friday and Saturday nights my husband and I are relegated to making our own fun. We try to get a babysitter every few weeks and go on a real date, but to be honest, sitters are expensive! Plus, my husband and I prefer to go to a really nice restaurant every few weeks as opposed to Applebee’s every week (sorry Applebee’s). So, during the in-between times we make our own dates. This usually involves feeding the kiddo and getting him bed at a decent time, then my husband either selects some new craft beers to try or he lets his mixologist side come out, and I try to get creative in the kitchen. During the colder months, it often involves renting a movie or sitting and talking about the week and the blog (it kind of consumes our free time), or in the summer we’re all about our back patio. It’s still quite brisk out so we recently had a pub-type “date” in our living room. This past October we got a handmade beer flight set at a fall beer/chili/party/tasting thing and have since had a lot of fun with it!

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve received a bounty of beautiful, blue potatoes from our CSA. They taste very much like a russet except that they’re BLUE! How fun is that? I know I’ve had some fun with them, anyway. This recipe for Blue Steak and Potatoes is by far my favorite blue potato recipe. It’s like healthy local food meets pub grub (minus the grease). In the spirit of pub grub, it’s topped with a blue cheese dijon sour cream. Happy, happy “date night” for my hubs and I. Blue steak and potatoes + craft beers + Friday night + kiddo snoozing in his bed = date night in our living room!

Blue Steak and Potatoes

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 25 minutes                  Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

The Veg:

• 2 lbs blue potatoes
• 2 C white onion halved and sliced (about 1 onion)
• 1 1/2 C sliced button mushrooms (about 1 8 oz package)
• 2 C baby spinach
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• fresh cracked pepper to taste

The Steak:

• 1 lb sirloin steak
• 2 tsp plus 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• fresh cracked pepper to taste

The Sauce:

• 1/2 C sour cream
• 1/4 C blue cheese crumbles
• 2 tsp dijon mustard

Directions

1. Remove your steak from the refrigerator and allow it to sit out for a few minutes until it comes to room temperature.

2. Wash your potatoes, place them in a steamer, cover, and steam for approximately 30 minutes, or until fork-tender. The cook time will vary based on the size of your potatoes. I would say that mine were medium sized.

3. Once you have your potatoes in the steamer, cut up your mushrooms and onions and place them in a skillet with 2 Tbsp of butter. You’ll be cooking them slowly over medium-low heat for 35 minutes without allowing the onions to brown. This will result in sweet, caramelized onions.

4. While the potatoes and onions are cooking, baste your steak with 2 tsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. My directions have you cooking 4 oz of steak per person. I chose this because it’s a healthier serving size, but if you’re having company, you might consider 6-8 oz per person. Coat the frying pan with 1/2 tsp olive oil and heat over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. For cooking steak I prefer an uncoated pan because I find that I can get a better sear.

5. I used sirloin for this recipe, which is a cheaper, but tougher piece of meat. Because of this, it’s particularly important not to overcook the steak. I would shoot for medium rare to medium depending on your doneness preferences. The cooking time will vary slightly based on the size of your steak. I cooked mine for 2 minutes on the first side, flipped it, and cooked it an additional minute. The best test for doneness is touch (which takes a little practice). If you make a fist and touch that fatty area between your thumb and index finger, that’s what your steak should feel like. Soft, but a little firm. I know this is vague, but if you cook a few steaks and practice using this method you might have a few screw ups, but you’ll learn, and then you’ll be the steak master! After you’re done cooking the steak, remove it from the pan and allow it to rest on a cutting board while you prep your potatoes.

6. Once your potatoes are fork-tender, remove them from the steamer, then peel them.

7. Next, smash them up pretty with a fork.

8. By this time your onions and mushrooms should be done cooking. Remove them from the heat and mix in 2 cups of baby spinach and salt and pepper. This will wilt the spinach, which will result in tender, non-slimy spinach.

9. In a small bowl, gently mix together the sour cream, blue cheese crumbles, and dijon for your sauce.

10. Top the potatoes with the veg, then the steak, and then serve the blue cheese sauce on the side. Now it’s date time!