A Man Sized Meal

One thing I do look forward to about summer, is being able to try out new recipes, and have some experimental fun in the kitchen (get your mind outta the gutter!). The reason for this is that the hubs is generally laid off during the summer months, which means I don’t have to consistently have a meal on the table every night that I can be certain he will not only eat once, but twice, since he always takes leftovers to work for lunch the next day. This gives me a chance to try new things, and hopefully, add a few recipes to my repertoire to draw from during the winter months. It also means I can put out some dishes that maybe have longer cooking or prep times because I’m not so under-the-gun each night to get dinner and bath time finished by a specific time each evening.

That being said, when the hubs was lounging his unemployed butt around the house last week, watching Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares and the Food Network. He fell in love. I received this random text while I was at work:

“tyler florence ultimate ribeye and potatoes”

Translation (ok, in MY mind, anyway):

“My darling wife, I realize that you are hard at work, and I truly value your dedication to your job, but I was wondering if you could possibly take a moment to look for the recipe for Tyler Florence’s Pan Roasted Cowboy Ribeye with Creamed Swiss Chard, as well as his Caramelized Onion and Potato Tart, as I just saw him prepare these dishes and I just have a feeling that they would be even more wonderful if you were to prepare them for us next week.”

Yeah, I’m sure that’s what he meant. Anyway, it took me a little while to determine exactly which recipes he meant, but I located them and printed them off. Then, much to my surprise, and his delight, my favorite local grocer had exactly two gorgeous, thick cut, bone in rib steaks when I was picking up our weekly groceries on Sunday.

Lucky Man.

I will include the recipe in its entirety below, but I must warn you that this may involve using every dish in your kitchen (shame on you, Tyler! That’s a bad habit you have!), and unless your cast iron skillet is ENORMOUS, you’ll probably have to use one pan for each steak you are making, as I did.

Knowing what lay ahead of me, I also conjured a lovely cocktail for myself to get me through.

It couldn’t have worked out better, timing-wise, as the hubs called on his way home yesterday (because he was going to be late – I informed him that he was to be home to help me with this meal no later than 6pm) apologizing for being late, at which time I learned that his brand spankin’ new fishing boat was suffering from mechanical problems. He and MG were taking it to the marine shop when the boat trailer blew a tire, leaving them both in a fairly foul mood. However, when said husband popped his head in the front door and smelled the caramelized onions, the mood began to evaporate.

Sniffing his way across the dining room and into the kitchen, he even cracked a smile when he saw the side of beef laying seasoned on my cutting board, and the fresh herbs sizzling away in the skillet.

Comfortable in his Big Beast recliner a short time later, said slab of beef perched precariously on his swimming trunk-clad lap, he says to me, “You’re so good to me.” To which I replied, “No, I’m TOO good to you.” Moments later, he was making noises that I wouldn’t expect to hear outside the bedroom, and was loosening the ties on his swim trunks. And not in the way you might be thinking. He was making room for more steak. HIS thick cut ribeye weighed in at over 20 ounces, and he was determined to eat every bit of it.

He failed.

Between the potatoes and the steak (there is no chard at the market yet, so we skipped that part of the recipe. We did NOT skip the breadcrumb topping, though, and it’s a good thing, because that really pushed the dish over the top), he had to call it quits and allow me to save the rest for another day’s lunch. Probably today. Because I warned him severely that if that meal was still in the fridge come trash day, I was NOT going to be a happy woman.

After which, he proceeded to fall directly into a food coma and I had to wake him to get him to go to bed.

All in all, a very successful meal that I will make again....perhaps not on a week night next time, but still...

Pan Roasted Cowboy Ribeye with Creamed Swiss Chard
2 large (16 to 18-ounce) bone-in rib-eye steaks
1 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Bread crumb topping:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 to 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
2 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed
About 1 cup panko bread crumbs
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Creamed rainbow chard
1 large bunch Swiss chard, leafs removed from the stem and leaves chopped
2 cups heavy cream
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled
Freshly grated Parmesan, to taste
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 lemon, juiced

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Take a cast iron pan and set over medium-high heat. Add a 2-count of olive oil and add rosemary and thyme. The herbs will begin to crackle as the oil heats up and the oil will be infused with the flavor.Remove the herbs from the pan and place onto a paper towel lined plate. Season the rib eyes well with salt and pepper and add to pan and brown for approximately 4 minutes.Turn the rib eye over and place the whole pan into the preheated oven, on the bottom shelf, for another 12 minutes for medium-rare. Add another 2 minutes for medium.

Place a saute pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and butter. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic, thyme and rosemary leaves, and the panko and stir to combine. Once the bread crumbs are toasted, season with salt and pepper.

Place a saucepan of cream with bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and garlic over medium heat and simmer until reduced and thick. Blanch leaves in some salted boiling water until wilted. Remove the Swiss chard from the water and allow it to drain in a strainer. Push any excess water out of the Swiss chard using some paper towels. Set aside to dry at room temperature.

When ready, remove herbs and garlic from cream and fold in the Swiss chard. Add Parmesan, to taste, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Once steaks are done, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve on a plate and top steak with creamed Swiss chard. Garnish with the toasted bread crumbs, lemon juice, and season with salt. Caramelized Onion Potato Tart
1 large onion, sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large Russet potatoes, washed
2 to 3 tablespoons butter, broken into small pieces
Special equipment: parchment paper cut into large circle to fit saute pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Set a large skillet over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add sliced onions and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes until they are tender and brown all over.

Using a mandolin (or sharp knife), finely slice the potatoes into rounds (you can place them in a bowl with a wet towel over the top to stop them from going brown while you work). Place the potatoes into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. When ready, add the onions and toss to combine without breaking potatoes.

Add about 1 tablespoon water to the same pan the onions were cooked in and allow it to come to a bubble. Using layered paper towels, wipe the pan clean.

Add some extra-virgin olive oil to the pan and add the potatoes to the pan, making sure the potatoes are flat. Top with the diced butter.

Take a piece of parchment paper and fold in half. Find the middle of the parchment along the crease and hold in place with your finger. Taking the right side of the parchment, pull it towards the center and fold it straight down to create a diagonal edge. Fold the parchment in half to create a triangle. Place the pointed edge in the middle of the saute pan on top of the potatoes to find its radius. Make a marker of where the pan edge ends (or starts). At this point you can cut the parchment at this marker and open to reveal a circle.

Cover the potatoes with the parchment paper and press down. Drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over the top so it down burn and rub it in.

Place the pan into the oven on the top rack and bake for about 45 minutes.

When done remove from oven and run a knife around the edge to separate from the pan. Place a large plate on top of the saute pan and flip. Remove the saute pan. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into slices.