Simple Elegance

Espresso Rubbed Rib Eye

Scalloped Potatoes and Fennel

 

It's the little black dress of the dinner word. Steak and potatoes can be done so many different ways.

There's no other ingredient I can think of that can go from a casual BBQ to an elegant meal so easily than steak. Most of the time, the cooking technique remains the same. Change a few small things, a rub, a topping, and you can change the entire flavor and feel of the meal. It can go from casual to dressy with just a few small accessories.
 Today, I present to you my humble rendition of an espresso rub that can be used on any type of beef. It really shines with the rib eye. It's my version of dressing up a steak, simply, adding a little elegance with very little effort.
A perfect pairing to our steak is, of course, potatoes. Adding a little fennel elevates this dish from 'ordinary' to 'special occasion'. In this case, with just a small amount of prep work and in about the same amount of time it takes for the rub to permeate the rib eye, you can have an elegant accompaniment.

The Espresso Rub 

 2 tsp Pure Cane Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika

1 tsp Garlic Powder

2 1/2 tsp Instant Espresso

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper

1/8 tsp Cayenne

 Mix all ingredients very well.

 Use about a teaspoon of the espresso rub per side of steak.

 Sprinkle it on.

 Rub it in.
Repeat on the other side.

 Let sit at room temperature about an hour.

Heat grill or grill pan over high heat about 10 minutes until nice and hot (around 500 degrees).

 Put steaks on grill. Let sit 2 minutes. Turn 90 degrees to get your pretty char marks. Let sit another 2 minutes.
Flip and do the same to side two. (This gives you a nice medium rare steak. If you like yours done a little more, add a couple minutes to the grill time.)
Remove from grill and let rest about 10 minutes before eating.

 

Scalloped Potatoes and Fennel

based on recipe by Bon appetit

Adding fennel to these potatoes changes the taste just enough to add a bit of elegance to the meal. The fennel gives just the slightest hint of sweetness. With first bite you can taste the licorice flavor but it quickly fades into the hints of garlic and rosemary and the creamy golden brown potatoes with the almost crispy crust that formed from the milk and the cream.

It's much easier to make than it looks.

Once all of the potatoes are sliced, your oven does the rest of the work for you.

One of the nice things about scalloped potatoes is, to be honest, you really don't have to measure any ingredients. I watched my grandma over and over again pour all ingredients in a casserole or glass dish, cover with cream or milk and a few pats of butter and let it bake. It's really that simple.

So, while you are letting your rib eyes sit, absorbing all of it's wonderful flavors, you can put these potatoes in the oven.

After they bake for an hour, turn the grill on. Turn the heat up on your oven and the potatoes brown while you grill. It turns out to be perfect timing.

Let them both sit about 10 minutes. (Eat a salad in the meantime.)

And dinner is served.

3 lbs (about 8 small) red potatoes

1 Fennel Bulb

1 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped

4 or 5 Cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

Salt, Pepper

1 Pint Heavy Cream

1/2 Cup Milk

4 Tbsp butter, diced

 

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Slice potatoes very thin.

 Place in casserole dish. (I used a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.)
Add the chopped rosemary and garlic.

 Slice the fennel bulb in half, then slice very thin down to the base.

 

 Add the fennel to the potatoes. Mix well.
Add about 1 tsp salt sprinkling over the potato mixture evenly and mix again to distribute the salt evenly.

Add the cream and milk, making sure there's enough to cover your potatoes.

Place small pieces of butter over the top of the cream/milk.

Cover with foil and place in oven over a baking sheet (in case there's any leakage). 

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, making sure potatoes are soft.

Increase oven temperature to 425.

Remove foil and bake another 15-20 minutes, until the top layer is crispy and golden brown. 

Sprinkle with a few of the chopped fronds from the fennel to garnish

Let sit 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve.

So, there you have it: The Little Black Dress in the recipe world..

 Steak and potatoes all dressed up..

(With not too much effort, but who needs to know that?)

Until next time, my friends...

Eat well

 

 

 

 

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