Cooking Again

For the first time in five and a half years, I'm cooking at home - and the food is turning out surprisingly well.

Here's what I cooked up tonight:

NY Strip Steak, Scalloped Potatoes, and Asparagus

• 1/2 pound, 1 inch thick NY steak, trimmed
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• four sprigs asparagus, chopped in half
  
• one russet potato, thinly sliced
  
• pat of butter
• 1/2 pint whipping cream
• Beecher's or other cheese as desired
  
• French bread

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees and allowing the meat to come to room temperature. Douse it with salt and pepper.

Get the whipping cream simmering in a saucepan. Add the potatoes to the whipping cream with some salt and pepper. Cover the saucepan and cook until done, took me about 15 minutes. Grease an oven-safe bowl with the pat of butter, and layer the potato slices in, grating cheese in between layers and on the top. Stick the bowl into the oven for a few minutes to get the cheese to the desired state, and remove when ready.

Coat a skillet (mine is simple stainless steel) with olive oil. When the potatoes are just about done, bring the skillet up to medium heat. Throw in the asparagus with a little salt and pepper, saute for a few seconds, reduce the heat to low, and cover for 30-60 seconds. Remove the lid, saute a few more seconds, and then plate the asparagus.

Put the skillet back on the heat and increase to medium again. After a minute or two, add the steak. Brown each side for about a minute, and sear the edges for about 15 seconds each. Then transfer the skillet to the oven for about five minutes. Remove and plate the steak.

Allow the steak to sit for five minutes or so, then plate the potatoes and serve with French bread on the side.

This gave me a juicy, medium steak, just how I like it.