Steak!

Okay, I think I figured out the magic number for the steak in the oven. Three minutes per side with a 10-minute rest under foil seems to get me to glorious pink pretty consistently. I think I over-used the kosher salt last night, so I'll go a bit lighter on that the next time. Still, the three seasonings I've been using have produced a consistently tasty crust on the steaks so I think I'll stick with them. It's really good to have the numbers figured out now. Having a set pattern makes it easier to get consistent results.

I'm starting to wonder about using my second cast iron skillet on this project now. I think I'll attempt it tonight. Since I have two, it could be possible to cook two steaks at once, thereby getting steak into my mouth about 16 minutes sooner. This is a worthy goal. My second skillet is actually just a griddle, so I'm not sure if it'll make a big huge mess in the oven due to the low sides and the spattery grease that comes off a cooking steak. We'll have to see about it. I don't have a self-cleaning oven in our current apartment, so spattery grease can be a big pain in my butt.

I did some mashed potatoes again last night, too. Those are always tasty. Here's a quick recipe: Take 5 pounds of potatoes. I use russets. Clean them off with some water and a scrubby brush, then cut them up into 1-inch chunks or smaller. Drop them into a great big pot (I think I have a 12-quart one) and cover them with water. A little more water than it takes to cover them is a good idea, as some will boil off. I give it about an inch above the level of the potatoes. Put this on the stove to boil. Once it starts boiling, drop a pretty hefty bit of kosher salt into the water and set your timer for 20 minutes. You can reduce the heat to just enough to keep it boiling, and that'll help stop it from boiling over. I also skim off as much of the starchy gross bubble crap as I can with a slotted spoon. Once the timer goes off, dump the potatoes into a strainer and get them as dry as you can. Put them back in the cooking pot with half a stick of butter and 8 oz of half and half. Mash it all up like crazy, then add some more salt and pepper. They are now ready to serve.

The timing on these mashed potatoes meshes well with cooking the steaks, as the 20 minute boiling time for the potatoes is enough time to get the steaks in the oven, and the 10-minute rest for the steaks is plenty of time to mash the taters. These two recipes go together like...peas and carrots? Red beans and rice? I have no idea. They just work well.