Steak with Stout Pan Sauce

There are few things in life more satisfying than a big ol' piece of meat. (That's what she said?) It's definitely what we said when we tried this simple recipe from Bon Appetit magazine. It's Steak with Stout Pan Sauce, and it sure is tasty!

We picked up the January issue of Bon Appetit on a whim, and so many of the recipes seemed intimidating. Either we'd never heard of the ingredients, or we knew they were super expensive, or we didn't have one of the key appliances (side note: we have got to get ourselves an immersion blender). When we found this recipe, with its total cook time of 20 minutes and familiar ingredients, we repeated a few quick affirmations and got to shopping.

Let it be known that New York strip is not the cheapest cut of meat you can buy. At our local Whole Foods-like store, the cheapest variation rang in at $16.99 a pound. The good news, though, is that it is such a rich, flavorful cut of meat that a smaller portion really isn't that meager in flavor.

About 10 minutes before you start cooking, set out your tablespoon of butter and the steaks. This will bring them to room temperature, which will prevent the steaks from sticking to your pan and will make the butter easier to mix with the flour.

The first step is to coat the steaks with dijon mustard, then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. The steaks are cooked over medium-high heat in olive oil to desired doneness. In our case, 5 minutes each side was about enough to do the trick. The steaks are then transferred to a cutting board or plate to rest, and the pan is wiped clean.

Take a moment to mix the butter and flour together in a small bowl and set it near your burner. Next, heat another teaspoon of olive oil in the pan, and press the garlic into it. The garlic is sauteed for a matter of seconds before the broth is added and brought to a boil. (This also takes just seconds, so have the rest of the ingredients nearby for quick incorporation!)

Add the stout, brown sugar, soy sauce, mustard, and butter mixture to the pan and boil it until it's reduced. When the mixture measures about 2/3 of a cup, slice up your well-rested steaks and plate them with a spoonful of sauce.

We can't tell you enough how much we enjoyed this recipe. The steak is perfectly seasoned, and the sauce is smooth and rich without being overwhelming. Best of all, it really did only take 20 minutes, start to finish - you can't beat that! We were so impressed that we're naming Steak with Stout Pan Sauce a YTK Favorite.

And, now that we've tackled one recipe from a new source, we're hungry for more. Bring it on, Bon Appetit!