Easy Seared Steak

I love steak- most any type, as long as it’s cooked medium and not over-cooked! When we got our first freezer of meat last fall, I had only ever cooked steak on the grill and I knew that there were other ways to prepare it. So I did what I do all the time when I want to learn something new, I looked it up on Pinterest. And I found it! The perfect way to make the perfect steak- in my cast iron skillet!

It’s not a difficult technique nor does it take long to prepare, in fact, if you have a cast iron skillet, you can make it too.

An Hour Before Dinner

  • Ahead of time, I make a Herbed Compound Butter. There is no real recipe that I follow for this but rather it is dictated by the contents of my refrigerator. It starts with a stick of softened butter in a bowl, add some basil, scallions, garlic and some parmesan cheese. Combine and then finish with a little salt (if the butter was unsalted) and pepper. Give it a final mix and dump out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form a log of butter and place into the fridge for a while to harden.

45 Minutes before Dinner

  • About 45 minutes before dinner, pull the meat out of the fridge so that it comes to room temperature. While it’s warming up, salt and pepper each side of the meat.

15 Minutes before Dinner 

    • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
    • When the steak is at room temperature, heat the cast iron skillet on high and melt a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan.
    • When the butter is melted and the skillet is really hot, place your steak in it. Sear it for about 2 minutes on each side.
    • Put the whole skillet in the oven until the steak reaches your desired temperature of doneness.

Dinner Time!

  • Pull out of oven and let rest for 5 minutes (pull the rest of the meal together or set the table, something… Just do not cut or serve until it’s rested).
  • Slice the compound butter and place a slice on each steak.
  • ENJOY!

 

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