Pan Seared Steaks with Red Wine Pan Sauce

Steak has to be the one food that most people think of when they think about with good reason. Steak is absolutely delicious. Also, it’s easy and quick to prepare when you know the right technique.

Recipes like this one are perfect for when you come home from a long day and crave a delicious, hearty and fulfilling meal. Not only because these steaks are extremely tasty, but because it takes very little time to prepare and requires ingredients that you will most likely always have on hand. The only difficult thing about it is that you will have to stop by your local butcher to get some delicious fresh and preferably grass-fed steaks.

Like most recipes, you can really switch this one up and use whatever you happen to have in the fridge. I chose mushrooms because I love them most when combined with red meat and a dry red wine. Add the thyme on top of those ingredients and you have a really hearty meal. You also are not restricted to the type or cut of steak you use, I just happened to use beef Fillet Mignon because that’s what I happened to have on hand.

I try to always have a good bottle of red wine on hand, either a Port or Burgundy to cook with. It is such an easy way to drastically alter a recipe and it makes for a great base for an awesome sauce or marinade. If you wonder about the alcohol from the wine, but in a nutshell, you shouldn’t have to stay away from a little bit of wine here and there, especially when it’s reduced and most of the alcohol is allowed to evaporate like in this recipe.

Ingredients

For the steak:

4 steaks of your choice, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches thick, about 8-ounces each

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

4 sprigs thyme

1 shallot, sliced thin

For the pan sauce (optional):

1 shallot, finely minced

1 cup beef broth

1 cup dry red wine (Burgundy or Port is a good choice)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon minced parsley

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedures

Season steaks generously on all surfaces with kosher salt and black pepper. Add vegetable oil to 12-inch, heavy-bottomed cast iron or stainless steel skillet. Heat over high heat until oil just begins to smoke. Add steaks to pan, and cook without moving until deep golden-brown crust develops on first side, three to four minutes. Flip steaks over.

Add butter, thyme sprigs, and shallots to pan. Turn heat down to medium-high. Continue to cook, occasionally basting steaks by tilting pan towards you and spooning hot fat over surface of steaks. If steaks start to become too dark, turn lower heat. Continue to cook until instant-read thermometer inserted in to center of steak registers 125°F for medium-rare (between three and seven minutes, depending on how powerful your range is). Remove steaks from pan, place on rack set in rimmed baking sheet, pour fat, shallots, and thyme from pan over steaks, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for until center of steak cools to 120°F (about ten minutes). Meanwhile, make pan sauce if desired.

For the pan sauce, add the ingredients to the hot skillet, deglaze the pan and bring to a boil allowing it to thicken slightly. Serve on the side, or over the top.

Serving Suggestion: