Cook This: Dinner Tonight

Inspiration for tonight's dinner, made in under an hour (grocery list and instruction manual included).

We've neatly condensed the recipes below, but to read the fully fleshed-out versions (and save and print them) just click on the recipe links or photos. Dinner is served!

The Menu:

Wicked Witch Martini by thecrabbycook

 

Steak with Arugula, Lemon and Parmesan by merrill

 

Squashed Potatoes by amanda

 

The Grocery List (for 2):

•  2 one-inch thick boneless New York strip steaks
• 4 cups baby arugula
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 pound fingerling (preferably) or baby white potatoes

 

(you probably already have olive oil, salt, pepper, parmesan, garlic, green olives, dry vermouth, and vodka/gin if that's how you roll, right?)

 

The Plan:

1. Mandatory first step: Make martinis (at least one for you). Sip. Turn oven to 375. Place potatoes in a pot of salted water and get it on the stove, wait for it to boil, continue to sip. Once the potatoes are tender, tip them out to drain, dry, and cool a bit.

2. Heat a cast iron skillet on the stovetop to screaming hot, sear the steak a couple minutes on each side, then transfer to the oven to finish for about 10 minutes (go for an internal temp of 135 for medium rare). Heap arugula on 2 plates, shave parmesan, and cut lemon into wedges while you wait.

3. Once the steak is out of the oven, transfer it to a cutting board to rest. Squash boiled potatoes to 1/4-inch thickness with a meat pounder or the fat edge of a knife and fry them in the same pan you cooked the steak. Mm, meaty potatoes.

4. Meanwhile, slice steak and arrange prettily on heap of arugula. Once the potatoes are crisp on both sides (and well-seasoned), pull them out and deglaze the skillet with 1/4 cup of water to get up the lingering bits. Drizzle over steak and arugula. Squeeze on some lemon and scatter parmesan shavings, salt, pepper.

5. Make second round of martinis, as needed. Dig in!