Steak Dinner!

I cooked dinner for my mom tonight. After volunteering to mow my lawn, apparently out of sheer horror at the jungle I had allowed by ignoring my yard in all of its weedy and mosquito-ridden glory, she spent the last TWO days not only mowing, but hacking away branches and pulling weeds and raking and shoveling. I mean, she must have sensed the angry neighbor mob about ready to form outside of my house. I stayed inside and peeked out the window every so often to check that she hadn't been abducted by the raging, bullet-sized mosquitoes that attack any exposed section of flesh during even the most brief ventures outside my house. She did a great job. She showed me the difference between "trees" and "weeds about ready to become self-aware." Hopefully, I did something semi-worthy of her efforts.

Kansas City Strip Steak with Smashed Potatoes and Cucumber/Tomato Slaw

4 KC strip steaks

2.5lbs new potatoes

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 heaping tbsp minced garlic

1/2c heavy cream

1/2 stick butter

2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced

4 tomatoes, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1/2c sour cream

Balsamic vinegar

olive oil

salt

pepper

A few hours beforehand, put the steaks in a brine. I always brine anything for the grill because I am not very good at grilling and the brining sort of corrects for minor mistakes by making the meat more tender. If you have some time beforehand, it's also a good idea to make the slaw since the longer it can chill, the better for the flavor coming together. Prepare the cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion. Place all of them in a large bowl. Stir in the sour cream. Add the Balsamic a few tablespoons at a time to taste. Add some cracked pepper to taste and put the slaw in the fridge. When you are ready to cook, put the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Leave the skin on. It is nothing to be afraid of. Turn the oven to high until the water is boiling, then reduce heat to medium and allow the potatoes to cook for 30min. Chop the yellow onion and saute over medium heat in some olive oil for about 20min until the onion begins to brown, stirring constantly. Add the minced garlic, and saute about 5min more. Remove the pan from heat and set it aside. Prepare the grill and allow it to heat up. Take the steaks from the brine, pat dry, and salt and pepper both sides, pressing the seasoning into the meat. Once the grill has come up to temperature, put the steaks on, 4min each side for medium rare. Let the steaks sit for a few minutes before serving. The potatoes should be about done. Drain them and place them in a large bowl. Mash them with a slotted spoon. Stir in the butter and the cream. Add the onion/garlic mixture and stir. Finally, salt and pepper to taste. Pull your slaw from the fridge and all should be ready to serve.

I love Balsamic vinegar and usually making this slaw, you use regular vinegar and sugar, but I think just going with the Balsamic adds the sweetness and keeps the whole thing very fresh without any added sugar. Also, my steaks weren't perfect... 5min per side was probably closer to medium well, so above I recommend only 4min. It's SO hard to control heat on a grill, but again, the brine came through so the meat was still tender. Also, I did accomplish a nice sear so the meat ended up being OK. However, I'm not going to be the next Food Network star any time soon. These potatoes were to DIE for. I cut back on the butter from the 3/4stick the recipe recommended. They were still creamy and the garlic and onion really put some flavor in without having to add too much salt. I could eat a trough full of these potatoes. My mom went back for seconds and I almost clubbed her in a caveman-like urge to protect my sustenance.

Just kidding. Love you, Mom. My yard looks great.