So dinner yesterday was not soup, actually. It was steak. The roads improved a bit, so the family set off to buy a Christmas tree. And returned with strip steaks. (And a tree, sure, but let's concentrate on the important stuff). There were also maitake and brown birch mushrooms. Instead of just making sweet potato fries, I busted out the saladacco and spun a tuber into lovely thin strips which I then double-fried into appealing tangles of sweet, crunchy orange joy. To the steaks I gave what is by now standard procedure when there's no time for sous vide: brown them in butter and then grate homemade lardo over them while they rest. Then I gave the mushrooms a quick sautée in the steak skillet and deglazed with a little wine. That little grey mound next to meathenge is a mixture of grated daikon and black radish mixed with salt, pepper, truffle oil, and kimchi brine.
I should have taken the picture a minute later, after I added homemade red onion-habañero pickles and a fat dab of mustard to the plate. Lest anybody reach for their pearls at the dearth of greenery- that little thyme sprig only highlights it, really- there was a big bowl of lovely winter mesclun also in attendance. These fries need a tetch of tweaking to attain perfection, but they're close. And I should have made a post-mushroom pan sauce since they bogarted most of the wine I poured in. To make up for it, I poured some wine into myself- a 2003 Ada Nada Barbaresco "Valeirano"- that ably tarted up this barely glorified pub fare.
6 comments:
I'm intrigued by the sweet potato nest - looks like pasta. Wish I had a device that would do that with sweet potatoes. Might have to ask Santa for that.
Just looked online and found several - does yours have several blades? Care to share the brand name?
love your low-fat cooking, Peter
Zoomie: I make sweet potato nests using an apple peeler/corer. If you have one of those, you can do the same thing, albeit slightly more labor intensive.
Peter--your steaks are gorgeous. It's like you don't even need sous-vide.
Zoomie: Benriner. Amazon has them for about $60. Don't get the cheap one.
Genevelyn: I know, but a pat of butter and a teaspoon of lardo make a steak into a sex act.
Kristie: I've been using it less lately, since my skillet mojo is improving. But it's still nice to have around for pâtés, etc.
Spiteful Chef and Peter, thanks for the tips. I do have an apple peeler, inherited from My Beloved's mother - I'll try that first. If that doesn't work, I'll look for the Benriner.
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