To make Karen happy, I have to do two things:
- Have an endless supply of chocolate-based desserts ready to go with fair warning. Deep, dark love.
- Be prepared to feed her steak on a sporadic, but intense, basis.
These are simple things. Always have chocolate in the house, and be prepared to be told, “We’re having steak tonight.”
But, of course, I could live without beef. I don’t mind it, but I never crave it. Roast pork? Yes. Raw tuna? Clearly. But never beef.
And if I had to be really honest, steak creeps me out. Yes, it probably has something to do with playing tag with my steer when I was young. But I think it has more to do with how boring steak can be. Three bites of steak, and I get it. I know exactly what every following bite is going to taste like. A NY Strip, a ribeye, even a filet. It’s overplayed, too much of a good-enough thing, and I get bored. And that’s a wasteful, expensive way to spend a meal.
So when Karen asked me this last time to make her steak, I made a deal with her. I’d make her beef, but we had to find a new recipe. Something that would make both of us happy.
We had just picked up The New Brooklyn Cookbook by Melissa and Brendan Vaughan
Flipping through the pages, we found what we had been looking for; something to make both of us happy. Grilled Hanger Steak with Horseradish Whipped Potatoes, Creamed Spinach, and Sauce Bordelaise from Dressler.
Let’s be clear...Every bite of this dish kicks your palate around with happiness. It’s perfect. Without the bordelaise, it would be great. Meat, potatoes with a punch, and spinach with a pinch of cayenne. But the sauce. Oh, that sauce. Time and deep concentration of flavors can make anything better, but with bordelaise, the whole thing becomes obscenely good. Veal stock (or beef stock, which we swapped in), red wine, carrots, onion, and thyme cooked down to their silky essence.
After I had finished the steak, potatoes, and spinach, I wanted to tip the plate up to my mouth and drink the rest of the bordelaise. I was casually getting up from the couch (where we eat most of our meals at 9:00 pm) to sneak a drink in the kitchen when I saw Karen had only a pool of sauce remaining. I asked her if she wanted me to take her plate with me. “No,” she said. “I want to drink all this sauce first.”
Back down I sat, right beside her. Together, we lifted our plates. Tipped them back.
And we were happy.
recipe | Grilled Hanger Steak with Horseradish Whipped Potatoes, Creamed Spinach, and Sauce Bordelaise from Dressler (via The New Brooklyn Cookbook by Melissa and Brendan Vaughan)
For the sauce borderlaise
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice (about ¼ cup)
- 4 celery stalks, cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 1½ cups)
- 1 Spanish onion, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice (about 2 cups)
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 4 cups beef stock (or veal stock or D’Artagnan Veal Demiglace)
- 1 fresh thyme sprig
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 whole black peppercorns
- Kosher salt
For the whipped potatoes
- 1½ pounds russet or Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon creme fraiche
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the creamed spinach
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 shallot, peeled and finely diced
- 1 pound fresh baby spinach, washed and drained
- ½ cup milk
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Pinch of cayenne
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
For the meat
- Six 10-12 ounce hanger steaks, trimmed (We made just two steaks but made full recipes of the other components, knowing we wouldn’t mind leftovers)
Make the bordelaise
In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium. Add in the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook them for 15 minutes, stirring them when you feel like it. You don’t want browning. Just caramelization. Throw in the wine. Cook it down until almost all of the wine is gone. This will take about 20 minutes, but keep an eye on it. Add in the stock, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Crank up the heat so that it comes to a boil, then reduce the heat down so that it’s simmering. Cook it for about an hour, until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat.
Pull out a new sauce pan (it can be a tiny one this time) and place a fine-mesh strainer on top. No heat needed. Pour the mixture into the strainer. Mash those vegetables up with the back of a spoon (no flavor left behind). Toss the strainer into the sink. Pay respects to the remnants. They gave their lives for your happiness. Now move on, back to the stove. Taste the sauce. Does it need salt? Yes? Add some. Say a few kind words about the person who invented sauce bordelaise. They made your life better. Be grateful.
Make the potatoes
Lug out your big pot. Not the giant one. The big one. Throw the potatoes in there. Cover with cold water (seriously, not warm, not hot...cold). Throw in some kosher salt. Maybe a tablespoon. Heat on high until the water boils. Set the timer for 12 minutes. You might need a little longer for the potatoes to become tender. Meanwhile, get going on the next step.
In a small saucepan, throw in the butter, cream, and milk. Medium-low heat. Let it simmer (not a boil) then turn the heat all the way down, just to keep it warm.
Drain the potatoes. Pass them through a ricer if you have one and into a bowl that you can eventually place over hot water on the stove (metal or ceramic will work). If you don’t have a ricer, get out the mixer. Slowly add the warm butter/cream/milk into the potatoes. Stir happily but not aggressively. Slap in the creme fraiche and horseradish. Stir lightly. Salt and pepper until you’re pleased with yourself.
Get out another saucepan (the one that you cooked the bordelaise in will work here, even if you don’t want to clean it). Add in a couple of inches of water. Place it over the heat to simmer, placing the mashed potato bowl on top to keep them warm.
To make the spinach
Get out a big saute pan. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter (not all of the butter...save the other tablespoon for later) over medium heat. Add the shallot. Stir until they become soft and translucent, 2 or 3 minutes. Turn the heat up to high and add the spinach. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Dump the spinach into a colander, set it over a bowl, and let it drain for 10 minutes.
Remember that pan you used for the milk, cream, and butter for the potatoes? If it’s not looking too crusty, add in the milk and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and keep it warm.
Grab another saucepan (I know, so many pans!). Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the flour. Whisk it for about 4 minutes. In a slow stream, whisk in the warm milk+cream. Keep whisking for about one minute until it’s thickened. Add in some salt, cayenne, and nutmeg. Use your judgment about how much of each one you need. Add in the spinach. Stir. Lower the heat to keep warm.
Make the steaks
Get your grill ready. Or cast iron skillet. Or whatever you use to cook your steak. Over high heat, cook for about 10 minutes total, flipping once. Let the steak rest for 5 minutes. Slicing against the grain, cut the meat in ½-inch-thick pieces.
Reheat the bordelaise over low heat while you plate everything else.
Place a serving of potatoes on your plate. Add some creamed spinach on top. Then some steak slices. Drizzle with bordelaise. Be sure to pour on extra. You’ll want to tip that plate into your mouth and drink the goodness.