My son, Alex, was home from school for the weekend, and he brought his friend Eli with him. They’re varsity lacrosse players with first string appetites. So, how do you feed a couple of real hungry and still growing boys? You give ’em beef, that’s what you do. I got several 24-ounce ribeyes with the bone in, and I marinated them in red wine, olive oil and herbs. Then I pan seared and oven roasted them. I served them with some fingerling potatoes and crunchy bacon over a bed of fresh greens, just so I could send the boys on their way and say that I gave them some ruffage while they were home. More specifically, here’s exactly what I did.
For the Marinade:
Ingredients:
1 cup good red wine
1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 shallot finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
6 black peppercorns, smashed
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Take all the ingredients and combine well in a bowl. Salt and pepper the ribeye steaks on both sides and place in a gallon size resealable plastic bag. Pour in the marinade, and seal the bag. Slosh the marinade around in the bag, making sure the steaks are thoroughly coated, and let them marinade in the refrigerator for several hours.
For the fingerling potatoes:
Ingredients:
3 pounds fingerling potatoes, sliced lengthwise in half and liberally salted
1/2 pound bacon
Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spread the potatoes on a baking tray cut side down, and oven roast them for 20-25 minutes. Sauté the bacon in a skillet until crispy, drain on paper towels and crumble the strips into pieces. When the potatoes are cooked, combine them with the bacon in a bowl.
For the Ribeye Steaks:
Ingredients:
2 twenty-four ounce, bone-in ribeye steaks, marinated (see above)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 medium shallots finely minced
2 sprigs of tarragon
2 sprigs of thyme
Kosher salt
Method:
Basically what I did was a take-off of steak au poivre, using salt instead of pepper to coat the pan. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat until it’s very hot. Generously sprinkle the pan with salt. Remove the steaks from the marinade, pat dry with paper towels and toss them into the hot skillet. (Make sure you turn on the hood fan!) Brown and sear the steaks about 2-3 minutes per side. Try to sear the edges of the steaks by holding them up in the skillet with tongs. You want to seal the meat to maintain its core tender and juicy.
Place the skillet with the steaks in the oven for eight minutes, undisturbed (still at 400° from the potatoes). Then return the skillet to a burner set on low and cut in the butter, garlic and herbs. Swirl the butter around until it melts. With a large spoon baste the steaks with the butter/pan drippings for two-three minutes depending upon the thickness of the steaks. This will give you a medium rare ribeye. Increase the stovetop time for a more well-done piece of meat. Let the steaks rest for several minutes before plating with the fingerling potatoes. Just before serving, reheat the butter sauce in the pan and drizzle it over the sliced ribeye steak.
After I got the boys seated in the diningroom, a silence fell over the table. There was a noticeable absence of conversation from them, just a lot of hmmmm’s and ummm’s and chewing. After he finished, Eli’s comment was, “Wow, that was great!” And Alex nodded, adding, “I told you he was good.”
That’s my boy, Alex.
RMA
