Now sear this! Cooking tips, recipes

NEW YORK STRIP STEAK
Adapted from Alain Ducasse, printed in The New York Times, Feb. 2002.

Though Mr. Ducasse prefers boneless rib-eye steaks, I like the size and texture of a good New York strip, also called a shell steak. After the first steak I prepared and ate from this recipe in 2002, I have cooked many a steak since, every single one in this same manner. There is no reason I can think of to ever cook steak any other way.

Note: Boneless steaks cook a little faster than those on the bone. The cook-times below are for boneless. Add another minute or two for steaks on the bone.  

1 or 2 New York strip steaks, approximately 1 pound each and 1 1/2" thick
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
2 garlic cloves, smashed a bit with a knife
1-2 TB unsalted butter
3-4 branches fresh thyme

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Heat a large stainless-steel saute pan over high heat. Generously sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt. With tongs, hold the fatty edge of the steak against the bottom of the pan until the fat renders out. Lay the steak/s in the pan on a flat side. Reduce heat to medium-high and allow steak to sear for 3 minutes. Turn steak over, and grind a little black pepper over the browned side. Let sear for 3 minutes more. 

2. To make sauce: Remove pan from heat and with the steaks still in the pan, add garlic and butter, swirling until melted. Spoon some of the butter over the top of the steak. Scatter the thyme over the steaks and place in the oven until cooked to the desired degree of doneness: 

For 1 1/2" thick steaks:

Rare  -  3-4 minutes (time in oven)

Med-rare  -  8-10 minutes

Medium  -  12-13 minutes

Remove steak from pan and let rest on a serving plate for 10 minutes* to allow juices to settle. Serve whole or sliced, first spooning remaining garlic-butter over steak.

*Something to do with that 10 minutes: While the steak is in the oven, cut an unpeeled potato into ½” cubes. Once steak is removed from pan for resting, place the pan over medium heat (remember that the handle is very hot, use protection!). Leave the juices in the pan and add the potatoes, spreading into a single layer. Let cook, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes. (See, searing again!) Loosen potatoes and stir. Continue cooking for the remainder of the steak’s resting time. The potatoes will turn golden, with crisp surfaces. Test a potato cube for doneness, add to plate with steak and serve. (A green vegetable or salad would be nice as well, though you’ll be so wrapped up in this steak, you won’t even notice if they’re missing.)

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