with Basil Butter
HANDS-ON TIME
25 MIN
TOTAL TIME
45 MIN
Serves 4
My friend Paul Nanni is the chef at The Heron, a restaurant near my house in the Catskills. Paul is extraordinarily talented, so you can only imagine how nervous I was when I finally had him over for dinner. I planned to make a big rib-eye steak on the stove in my trusty—and humongous—cast-iron skillet. I got the skillet screaming hot and had the steak searing for only about two minutes before Paul said I should flip it. At this point, I let Paul take over and watched in awe as he flipped the steak over and over, allowing it to cook only a minute or two on each side before turning it again. Then, when the steak was only about halfway done, he took it out of the skillet to rest! After about ten minutes, he popped the meat back in the skillet and continued to cook it, flipping frequently, until it was a perfect medium-rare. Once he cut into it, I could see the perfect reddish-pink color started right at the very top and went all the way to the very bottom, without any gray in between. It was one of the best home-cooked steaks I’d ever had. Now I offer this recipe and that lesson to you.
In a bowl, using a fork, blend the butter, basil, lemon zest, and garlic. Season the basil butter generously with salt and pepper.
Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, then add the canola oil and swirl to coat. Season the steak generously with salt and pepper. Add it to the skillet and cook until lightly browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip the steak and cook, flipping every 1 to 2 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 65 to 70°F, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the steak to a rack set over a baking sheet and let rest for 10 minutes.
Reheat the cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Return the steak to the skillet and cook, flipping every minute, until the steak is well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 120°F, 5 to 7 minutes more. Transfer the steak to a carving board and let rest for 10 minutes. Spread half the basil butter on the steak and carve it across the grain. Spread the remaining basil butter on the sliced steak and serve right away.
DO IT AHEAD The basil butter can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for 1 month. Bring to room temperature before using.
TIP Compound butter like the basil one in this recipe is a great way to flavor big hunks of meat after they’re sliced. I like to spread some of it on the meat just before I carve it, so that tasty butter coats each slice.