Steak "Frites"

Since I have been eating a little better lately, I thought it would be nice to give myself a little treat. Last week hottie grassfed beef guy was at the farmers market and he sold me on some flat iron steak. I have never cooked with flat iron, but hottie (I promise to get his real name one of these days) suggested that since it is a tender cut, all it really needed was a little salt and pepper and a quick cook. When it came time to think about what to serve the steak with, I quickly remembered these oven fries I saw on Joy the Baker. It was the perfect way to use some of my herbes de Provence that I recently purchased from Cube. This was a fantastically delicious Sunday lunch and with a little planning, it didn't take too long to prepare. I did the butter first so that it would have time to set up, then I made the fries and when there were about ten minutes left, I cooked the steak. I tried to up the "restaurant quality" of the picture by sprinkling my plate with parsley...whadya think? Anyway, I absolutely loved this. The herbed butter was so good over the steak and the fries had a nice mellow flavor. It's safe to say I will be making all of these things again. Maybe as a seduction dinner (salad boy!). Ha!



Compound Butter

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (can use salted butter) and cut into chunks
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (if using salted butter, omit this)
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice


In a small bowl, mix together the butter, parsley, thyme, and salt. Mix well and add the lemon juice. Mix again and place back in the refrigerator for the butter to harden.


Oven Baked Fries
(Adapted from Joy the Baker)

1 medium sized Russet potato, peeled
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1/2 Kosher sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray before you add the potatoes.

Slice cleaned potatoes lengthwise into 1/3-inch thick slices, then slice those slices into smaller potato strips. Place on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss the potatoes in the oil to coat. Place in oven for 25- 35 minutes, removing the tray every 10 minutes to toss and stir the potatoes, then returning to the oven. Cook until browned.

Remove from the oven and immediately add salt and Herbes de Provence. Toss and serve.

Steak

1 flat iron steak fillet (6 ounces)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black better

Heat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat. Season the steak liberally with salt and pepper. Cook the steak for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until the steak reaches your desired done-ness.