Pan-fried Steak, Smashed Potatoes and Roasted Carrots

I got a KILLER deal on a couple of New York Strip steaks a couple weeks ago at the store.  Unfortunately, I didn't record how many ounces each steak was, but I believe they were around 10 ounces each and less than $4 per steak!  Normally I think I see these things for about $6 or $7 a steak so I was really excited to find this steal and snatched them up.  The rest of my ingredients I already had at home.

Cooking the Steaks
You all may or may not know that red meat is best cooked at room temperature so I took these out of their packaging and sprinkled them with kosher salt on both sides and set them aside.  Since its winter and my grill is down in the cellar anyways, I decided I would pan fry the steaks.  A few weeks ago I tried to broil a tougher cut of beef and it didn't work out so well and I wanted to play it safe. 

When getting the pan ready I always hear that the temperature needs to be hot hot hot.  So I cranked it up and put a little bit of EVOO in the pan.  Once the pan was hot I places the steaks in the pan and stepped back cause they were a-sizzling.  Soon they were a-smokin and my smoke detectors were a-beeping.  Our kitchen lacks an over head fan so I find that when I am pan frying things on high I have a little problem with the smoke alarms. 

Cooked the steaks for about 7 minutes on one side and 5 on the other then took immediately out of the pan to set.  Even with the smoke and the beeping, they definetely weren't burned. Though you don't get the same char marks with a grill I really do like pan frying my steaks.  With the directions above and setting for about 10 minutes the steaks came out to be a perfect medium rare.

Cooking the Carrots
The carrots were easy.  It had been awhile since I had roasted carrots and since I didn't have any other options for a vegetable in the fridge, I decided the sacrifice the carrots I usually reserve for eating raw with my delicious store bought dill dip.  In the past I have always bought the already cut and skinned baby carrots, but there was a story about bleach or something like that and while they are more convenient, it's just as easy to buy the carrots whole (one pound bag or organic for 99 cents).

I cut the carrots into "coins" and tossed them with EVOO, seasoned salt and pepper.  The seasoned salt and pepper I have been using like crazy recently.  I received them as a gift from my mother for Christmas. 

Carrots went into the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes give or take.  I use a timer, but mostly thats just in case I step away to watch some TV and get sucked in. Mostly I just got by the way it looks.  If the biggest carrot is tender then they're all done.

Cooking the Potatoes
On the day I made this meal I was watching Giada and she made these smashed potato things that I thought I might like to try in my own way.  I boiled several baby potatoes until they were tender enough to stab with a fork, took them out to cool a bit and smashed them with the bottom of a mug to flatten them, but not so much that they would fall apart.

I got a pan ready with EVOO (Tuscan Herb flavored this time) on medium high heat and attempted to fry the potatoes while trying to maintain the integrity of shape.  It wasn't particularly easy since the potatoes kept wanting to fall apart, but I managed to make a few good looking ones.  And they were tasty and kinda crunchy after being fried with that Tuscan Olive Oil. 

Conclusion
Aside from the smoke detector problem, everything turned out fantastic, and cheap too!  If I could do anything differently I would work on the potatoes more, but just so that it looked nicer.  The taste was outstanding.  The steaks stood well on their own.  No need for a sauce.  And I will remember carrots as more than a vehicle for delicious dill and other vegetable dips.

Staple Ingredients

There are some ingredients that I feel are a must have in every home and that I buy whenever I run out and not just for a specific meal. Here is a short list of my must haves:

1. Lemons - I can thank my mother for this one. She has an obsession with this citrus and it has passed on to me. I think I've been sucking on lemons since I could pick one up.

2. Kosher Salt - I really just started using Kosher Salt in the last several years. Far superior to iodized salt.

3. Extra Virgin Olive Oil - much healthier (or so I'm told) than butter. I especially like to coat EVOO on chicken before baking.

4. Balsamic Vinegar - So delicious, especially when sauteed with my beloved mushrooms and onions.

5. Worchestire Sauce - Anything that needs a little extra meaty flavor (think fried potatoes) I add a bit of this stuff.

6. Onions - I prefer red onions and I use them as ofted as possible. Shallots when I'm feeling fancier.

7. Cous Cous & Rice - Personally I prefer these grains to pasta. I love Italian style cooking and I eat it (especially since it is budget friendly), but I feel better about eating half a cup of cous cous with lemon juice than spaghetti with meat sauce.

8. Sour Cream - great to have on hand for making dips and if there is a potato or mexican involved, I need a dollop.

9. Wine - white wine or red wine. Either add a ton of flavor and are great for adding to marinades. I just seem to always be running out of this stuff though....

Introduction

To get started I thought I should let you know a little bit about myself. I'm Lucy Coburn and I love to cook and eat. As a Taurus, I have a penchant for the finer things in life, but have recently moved to a remote seasonal area in Northern Michigan and find myself struggling day to day to make ends meet. The town I live in (see below) is bustling with activity during the summer months as we are nestled between two lakes perfect for boating, fishing, and swimming.


I have been coming to this town almost every summer my entire life as our family has been doing so since the early 1900's. This past summer when I came for a visit I decided, not having any other options open having just moved from Washington DC, that I would like to try and stay through the winter and make myself a home here. Unfortunately, after the restaruant I worked at closed for the season in October, I have been finding it increasingly difficult to find any steady work and make a living currently by doing several odd jobs. Let's say though that I cannot wait for Spring and the return of some steady work.

As every person, I focus on the essentials....food, shelter and clothing. As I have a wonderful and cozy roof over my head and a fairly decent wardrobe to call my own I spend a lot (some may argue too much) time thinking and worrying about food. Some might be ok with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and tuna casserole, but while those old stand-bys are nice, occasionally to rarely, I like to feel like I am eating a meal I could have ordered in a restaraunt. I need my food groups or else I feel like its not a real meal.

My aim the remainder of this winter is to make delicious fairly balanced meals on a skin tight budget. I'm fortunate to be in the same town of a wonderful grocery store that really has some great deals on proteins and produce, I really couldn't believe some of the prices I've found! Hopefully you readers have your special spots with great discounts as well. Once I get an inventory going of recipes, I hope you will be able to search by ingredient and get some great ideas. I'm not really a "recipe" person as I just try to find what is on sale and what I have in my cupboard and work off that. You will probably see me using a lot of ingredients over and over. I love mushrooms and red onions. I put them in a lot. Also my local store always seems to have pork on sale so I make a lot of meals with the other white meat.

I hope you enjoy what you read and see and get some great ideas and share your own!