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surf + turf with crispy potatoes and horseradish crème fraiche

surf + turf with crispy potatoes and horseradish crème fraiche

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If you want to impress the man in your life (ahem, father’s day!), or just cook this for yourself and be the QUEEN that you are, this is the recipe for you. If you want to exude effortless confidence and shame everyone around you into feeling less adequate in the culinary realm, this recipe is for you. Devastatingly easy to make, in one pan (!), in under an hour (!). You will be the talk of the town every time you decide to tell people that you just, you know, effortlessly threw together some steak and lobster. No big deal. I made this whole recipe in my Lodge 10″ cast iron pan– which if you are going to purchase any kind of kitchen tool, a cast iron pan is a must, must, must. I use mine at least once a week and I have that sucker so well-seasoned that I can fry an egg without it sticking to the pan. I bake in it, I char vegetables in it, I fry in it, and anytime it’s 95 degrees out past 7pm (Texas, I’m looking at you, you bastard), you know I’m “grilling” inside from the comfort of my air conditioning. Of course, if you don’t live in the wretched hell-fire state that is Texas, this would be a completely pleasant meat to prepare outside on the grill with a nice drink in hand.

surf and turf

 

Now, I am very simple when it comes to my steaks. I generally don’t marinade steaks like ribeye or strip because when I cook them, I really just want the beef flavor to come through without distractions. I’m a salt and pepper gal, maybe a little bit of olive oil if I’m outdoor grilling. I find that if I marinate my steaks in a really wet marinade that I have a hard time getting a crust on the meat when I go to sear them. And the golden brown crust is EVERYTHING. If you don’t like your steak medium or rarer, please skip this post. A piece of an angel’s soul dies every time someone asks for a ribeye at a steakhouse well-done. You lose so much flavor and texture, it’s a waste of the beef. Please don’t let that cow have died in vain so that you can eat shitty shoe leather. Actually, while we’re on the topic–for those of you who don’t like your meat “bloody” or claim that there is “blood” in your package of meat. Let me let you in on a secret: all the blood is drained from the cow when it’s slaughtered. The red-ish liquid you are left with is called myoglobin, a red protein that carries and stores oxygen in our muscles. Now everyone can finally stop saying that their steak is “bleeding.” End rant.

Like I mentioned before, the beauty of this meal is that everything get’s cooked in the same pan in stages so that each item cooked picks up flavor from the previous item. Pretty easy right? Our steaks get seared hard in a hot pan until they’re dark brown, and then we’re going to add some butter and garlic to the pan and baste the steaks. Once they’re at the appropriate temperature, you’re going to let them rest. This is an extremely important step. Letting your steak rest before slicing into it helps redistribute all the juices back into the meat. Our lobster tails are then cooked in the leftover garlicky butter and steak juices with a little bit of olive oil and lemon juice until they curl and turn red. When the lobster is done, we pull ’em out of the pan and throw our potatoes in so that they can get crispy and then we smash ’em! Everything get’s topped with chives and the lemony horseradish crème fraiche sauce. Voilà ! A steak house-quality meal made in, honestly, probably 30 minutes or so. Pair that with a glass of red wine or some bourbon neat, and we’re in business. Below you’ll find some important tips for making steak great again. Have a happy father’s day, all you dad’s out there and all you mom’s who are playing both roles and deserve all the steak and lobster too!

TIPS:

  • Make sure you are choosing a quality steak. Visit your local butcher shop or your local farmer’s market and support those small businesses that are treating their beef right. The average steak that you’ll buy in the grocery store is a pale imitation of what your steak can truly be.

  • Pat your steaks dry before seasoning! Any moisture left on the surface will make it that much harder to get a good crust on the outside.

  • Season your steaks well on both sides before searing. The myth that you should wait until after your meat is cooked to season is absolute garbage. Salt and pepper are your friends.

  • Use a thermometer if you’re aiming for a specific temperature–it’s the only accurate way to tell the internal temperature of your steak. 120 degrees F is rare and 140 degrees is medium. Anywhere in there is fine. Pull your steak 5 degrees before your desired doneness as your steak will come up a a couple of degrees while resting.

  • Make sure your pan or grill that you’re searing your steak on is hot, hot, hot! The heat will help create the crust on the outside of the steak and will give it a great charred flavor.

SURF + TURF RECIPE:
serves 2 people

2 12-16oz ribeye steaks, at least 1 inch thick
2 lobster tails, cut in half lengthwise using kitchen shears
2 garlic cloves, smashed
3 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons sliced chives
2 lbs. fingerling potatoes or other baby potatoes
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Olive oil
salt + pepper

HORSERADISH CRÈME FRAICHE:

1 cup crème fraiche
2 tablespoons good mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (not cream of horseradish garbage, the actual pungent stuff)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1 tablespoon lemon juice and i teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon sliced chives
salt + fresh cracked pepper to taste

Stir together all ingredients for horseradish sauce and set aside until ready to use. Bring a small pot of water up to a boil and add fingerling potatoes. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until just barely tender. Drain and set aside.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or so. Season both steaks, on both sides, with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to the cast iron pan and swirl it around. And steaks to the cast iron and sear on the first side for at least 5 minutes. Before flipping the steaks, makes sure there is a dark brown crust on the first side. Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Reduce heat to medium and add smashed garlic cloves to the pan with 3 tablespoons of butter. Let the butter melt and then using a spoon, baste the butter over the steaks for 1-2 minutes. Take the temperature of your steak now. If it is within 5 degrees of your desired temperature, remove steaks from the heat to a plate and lightly tent them with foil.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the cast iron pan. Season lobster tails with salt and pepper and place them flesh side down in the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip the tails and squeeze in a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. Once the tails start to curl and are deep red in color, remove them from the pan. Add the mostly-cooked potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are golden brown and cooked through. Using a fork, gently smash the potatoes into the pan. Top with chopped chives. Serve potatoes with sliced steak and lobster with horseradish sauce.

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  1. Made this tonight with filet OMG they were amazing I did my potatoes and artichokes in my Instant Pot and FYI that sauce works well for artichoke dip too (I didn’t have the crème fraiche so I used organic sour cream and don’t be mad a dash of ketchup) it was not too bad for winging it 🙂

    • That’s so awesome! Artichokes sound amazing and sour cream is always a great substitute! So happy to hear you enjoyed it 🙂