Chuggles Chugs Along

Tonight I had Kmewalt over for some good home style cooking courtesy of Zachawii. They happened to bring Chuggles (short for Chiquita and Snuggles) along for the ride, which by the way made my day. It was a good time of getting together sharing a good meal (or so they told me) and good company. I decided to try and flex my atrophied cooking skills and try something new. Here is the recipe for dinner:

Steak au Poivre with Roasted Potatoes
It might sound and taste fancy, but this dish (I believe is French) takes about 30 minutes to perform. I have made this recipe for three, but is easily modified down.

Salad Greens with Balsamic Dressing:
3 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbs Dijon Mustard
1 Cup EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1.) Mix the vinegar and mustard in a medium mixing bowl.

2.) Slowly mix in the EVOO, the dressing will start to thicken. Add spices to taste. I think the next time I make this simple dressing I'm going to add minced garlic to taste. Its an experiment in the process

3.) Drizzle over salad greens and enjoy

Dinner

1lb fingerling or baby gold potatoes, washed
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 8-oz strip steaks
2 Tbsp black peppercorns, crushed
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cube the potatoes and toss with 2 Tbsp olive oil (preferably flavored), salt, pepper, and roast on a baking sheet for 25 minutes, until fork tender.

2. During the roasting of the potatoes, rub the steaks with crushed peppercorns.Heat 2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbs olive oil (approximate) in a skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the steaks to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until a crust has formed. Flip the steaks and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Continue flipping until desired doneness is reached. Transfer the steaks to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

3. Over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 Tbsp butter in the pan you used to cook the steak. Add garlic (if desired) and cook until soft. Stir in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Stir in the cream. Boil for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Spoon the sauce over the steaks and arrange the potatoes.

After the meal the cameras got broke out and the dogs were having a little photo session. Chiquita has not made it to the blogosphere on my blog, but she has on Kmewalts blog which can be found here, that's her to the left. Snuggles, who was my car mechanic buddy a few weeks back has made it back to the blog, but I'm keeping my eye out on her. I may have discovered why she likes cars so much, she's a Termidog. Her and Vladimir, the Russian politcal terminator, have an eerie resemblance to one another dontcha think? I have my eye on you Snuggles, I have my eye on you! (Or is it, she has her eye on me?!?!)