I Am Three Years Old

Folks, today is my blog's three year anniversary.

Whoopee.

This here blog is currently a mess. I promise that I will be working on it just as soon as I figure out what I'm going to do here.

I'm not a big anniversary celebrator (or at least I don't feel like it with this one) but I suppose I should commemorate it somehow so how about I just tell you about what I made for dinner tonight? We had Panfried Steak (aka steak au poivre) and Baked Potatoes. No pictures because, well, it's steak. Who hasn't seen a picture of steak before?

Panfried Steak
from James McNair's Favorites

• 4 tenderloin, sirloin, or other tender boneless lean beef steaks, about 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat and connective tissue
• Freshly ground coarse black pepper
• Coarse salt
• About 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• About 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup minced shallot
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Quickly rinse the steaks under cold running water and pat dry with paper toweling. Generously sprinkle both sides of the steaks with pepper and gently press it into the meat with your hands. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

In a saute pan or heavy skillet, sprinkle a fine layer of salt over the bottom and place over high heat. When the salt just begins to brown and the pan is almost but no quite smoking, add the steaks and cook until well browned on the bottoms, about 5 minutes for medium-rare. Turn the steaks with tongs to prevent piercing and releasing juices. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Top each steak with about 1 tablespoon butter and sprinkle each with about 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, or to taste. Add the shallot, distributing it evenly around the steaks, and cook until the steaks are done to your preference, about 10 minutes total for medium-rare. Frequently stir the shallot in the pan drippings, adding a bit more butter and Worcestershire sauce if needed to prevent the meat from sticking to the pan.

Remove the steaks to warmed plates. (I nuke mine in the microwave for 1 minute. It really does make a difference.) Add the lemon juice to the pan, scraping the sides and bottom to loosen any browned bits and cook about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, and pour over the steaks.

Tip: Who knew it's not such a good idea to sear two steaks in your brand-new not non-stick 12" skillet on Super-High heat without breaking it in first? *sigh*

For the Baked Potatoes: scrub russet potatoes well until clean, pierce with fork multiple times, and bake @ 350 degrees for 1-1.5 hours. They're done when they give when you squeeze them gently.