CHICAGO’S SMALLEST STEAK DINNER
Serves 6
Though our veggie burger of the future had us imagining a meatless world, nothing beats a delicious, grass-fed steak. Maybe one day we’ll be able to replicate every cut of meat using only vegetables, but until then, every so often you just have to have a steak. The key is to use grass-fed rib eye. It’s got incomparable beefy flavor, and every bite has the sensation of it melting on your tongue. A tangy homemade steak sauce cuts through the richness. I serve it with glazed baby carrots, roasted fingerling potatoes, and caramelized pearl onions. This pint-sized course is a meal within a meal.
“A.1.” STEAK SAUCE:
200 grams beef stock
50 grams golden raisins
30 grams Worcestershire sauce
30 grams whole grain mustard
25 grams balsamic vinegar
20 grams ketchup
1 garlic clove, peeled
3 grams black peppercorns
2 grams salt
POTATOES:
6 fingerling potatoes
15 grams canola oil
Salt for seasoning
PEARL ONIONS:
6 pearl onions
15 grams canola oil
Salt for seasoning
CARROTS:
60 grams water
30 grams unsalted butter
18 baby carrots
Salt for seasoning
STEAK:
600 grams grass-fed rib eye
Salt and black pepper for seasoning
30 grams canola oil
1 garlic clove, sliced
30 grams shallot, minced
30 grams thyme leaves
15 grams unsalted butter
TO FINISH:
60 grams thyme sprigs
“A.1.” STEAK SAUCE:
Put the beef stock, raisins, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, balsamic vinegar, ketchup, garlic, peppercorns, and salt in a medium saucepot set over medium-high heat. Stir to blend and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree on high for 1 minute, until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and keep warm in a saucepot until ready to serve.
POTATOES:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Scrub the potatoes with a clean kitchen brush. Put them in a mixing bowl with the canola oil and stir to coat the potatoes. Season with salt to taste, transfer to a sheet pan, and bake the fingerlings for 15 to 20 minutes, until crispy on the outside and tender inside. Remove from the oven and keep warm until ready to serve.
PEARL ONIONS:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Cut off both ends of the onions and peel the skin. Put them in a mixing bowl with the canola oil and stir to coat the potatoes with oil. Season with salt to taste, transfer to a sheet pan, and bake the fingerlings until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and keep warm until ready to serve.
CARROTS:
Scrub the carrots clean with a scrub brush. Put the water in a medium sauté pan set over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the butter to thicken the water and lower the heat to medium. Add the carrots and simmer in the beurre monté for 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender. Season with salt to taste and keep warm until ready to plate.
STEAK:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Use a sharp knife to remove the cap and silverskin membrane from the rib eye. Reserve the cap for another use—it is a delicious, flavorful cut in its own right. Alternatively, you can ask your butcher to prepare a center cut for you. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Put the canola oil in a medium sauté pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, sear the steak for 2 to 3 minutes on all sides. Add the garlic, shallot, thyme, and butter to the pan and use a large spoon to baste the steak continuously for 30 seconds. Transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking. The steak will be medium rare after anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes—periodically monitor it for doneness with a probe thermometer, removing it when the center reaches 135°F. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan and transfer the steak to the prepared rack. Keep in a warm spot, and let it rest for 10 minutes, flipping the steak over after 5 minutes to allow the juices to work their way back to the center of the meat.
TO FINISH:
Wrap 10 grams of thyme around a spiral-handled fork and spoon or scatter a few thyme leaves around the rim of 6 serving plates. Put 1 Potato, 1 Pearl Onion, and 3 Carrots in the center of each plate. Slice the steak, dividing the slices evenly among the plates, and fan the meat on top of the vegetables. Top with 15 grams of “A.1.” Steak Sauce on each serving. Serve immediately.
