Steak with Pan Sauce
Ingredients |
500g steak salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 small shallot | 2 garlic cloves ¼ cup (½ stick) cold unsalted butter 2 sprigs thyme 2 tablespoons mustard 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce |
InstructionsStep 1Let 500g steak sit at room temperature for as long as possible before cooking (even if it’s only for 10 minutes, that’s fine). Pat steak dry with paper towels. Step 2Heat a medium dry skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium. Season steak while you wait for the skillet to get nice and hot. Sprinkle lots of salt and black pepper on both sides of steak—A LOT. Use several generous pinches of salt and several cranks of pepper per side. Press salt and pepper into meat so it adheres. Step 3Pour 1 Tbsp. oil into skillet and swirl to coat. Using tongs, gently lay steak in skillet and cook until underside is deeply browned and a crust has formed, about 5 minutes. Once or twice, lift up steak and reposition over hotter areas of the skillet to encourage even cooking. Step 4Turn steak and cook until reverse side is equally browned and steak is medium-rare (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part will register 120°), another 5 minutes. If steak has a fat cap or is more than 1″ thick, upend with tongs and sear sides until browned. Remove skillet from heat. Transfer steak to a cutting board to rest. Step 5Let skillet cool about 5 minutes. While skillet is cooling, peel and finely chop 1 shallot. Smash 2 garlic cloves with the flat side of your knife and remove peel. Cut ¼ cup (½ stick) butter into 4 Tbsp.-size pieces. Set aside and have at the ready. Step 6Using paper towels, blot around skillet to soak up any blackened oil, but leave browned stuck-on bits behind. Step 7Place skillet back over medium-low heat and add shallot, garlic, 2 sprigs thyme, and 2 Tbsp. butter. Swirl skillet to melt butter and cook, stirring often with a whisk, until shallot is golden brown, 2–3 minutes. Step 8Add ½ cup water to skillet and whisk to dissolve stuck-on bits. Whisk in 2 Tbsp. mustard and 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Step 9Still working over medium-low heat, add remaining 2 Tbsp. butter and whisk constantly until butter is dissolved and sauce is smooth and thick, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat. Taste sauce and season with more salt (only if needed) and pepper. Step 10Cut steak against the grain into ½”-thick slices and arrange on a platter. |