With all the craziness of the pandemic, Chicago has issued a shelter in place order. I had already planned to move in with Andy at the end of April, but not knowing what the shelter in place would mean, we moved up that date by over a month. So, we celebrated my moving in a bit early…with steak.

Although it was very sudden, let me tell you this recipe for Skillet Garlic Herb Steak and Potatoes by The Recipe Critic is great.

You can find the link right -> here.

Best Practices For Cooking Steak

I cooked steak once to twice before and each time I was frustrated. I followed recipes exactly and still cooking times were off and I ended up having to put meat back on the heat. However, that did not stop me from trying again.

Here are some things to think about:

A grill is ALWAYS going to be an excellent choice for cooking steak, but it is not the only choice. Lucky for me because I don’t have access to a grill. You can absolutely achieve a wonderful sear and flavor in a steak cooked in a skillet, a cast iron, that is. Steaks cook at very high heat and a cast iron is the perfect tool to make it all happen.

Before attempting this recipe I spent some time researching, as if I was studying for a test. I looked at the desired temperatures for different levels of done-ness, I looked at recommendations for sears–all of it. I wanted this steak to turn out just as I wanted it too.

Oh, if you haven’t already–please do invest in a meat thermometer. I got mine on Amazon! It’s definitely durable…especially after being dropped in hot oil. Oops!

Was This Recipe Actually Good?

I’d give it a so-so for the instructions. I don’t cook steak often because it certainly is a treat, but also because we live in a condo and if I smoke up the kitchen, then I smoke up the whole place. Not an ideal situation. Luckily, after spending some time reading and preparing myself to make this, the kitchen stayed smoke-less, and everything ended up super tasty and filling!

Our cast iron isn’t that large, so I ended up cooking the potatoes separately. Here is a huge tip that I got from the review section: cook the potatoes in the microwave before you actually proceed with starting this recipe. Better yet, boil them to the point they are fork tender. Mine were still not cooked to my likeness after using the microwave. When you boil the potatoes, they start looking a little bit more fluffy on the edges, and that makes it easier for them to achieve that yummy crunch!

But what really caught my eye about the recipe was the recipe for the actual garlic butter for the steak and the potatoes. The flavors were awesome, and there was not a single complaint at the table. Even better? The steak did not need any additional sauce! It was juicy, flavorful, and simply a great way to celebrate this next step in our relationship.

Grey’s Grade: 4/5

My main suggestion with this recipe is if you don’t cook steak often and don’t want to overcook it–do some research outside of this recipe for proper cooking times and tools you should be using. Embrace this recipe for the flavor. That is something you should absolutely do! Also it does help to read the comments left by others to see what they did different, or to confirm what worked well.

That’s along the lines of what I’m trying to help you all out with too. As a very amateur home cook, I want to share my success and my challenges, to give you the boost to try something new.

As always, if you’ve liked this review, feel free to leave me a comment! I’d love to hear from you about your cooking adventures! If you have something to recommend, feel free to contact me!

Until next time, happy nomming!

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