A 5 Minute Steak Dinner for One

I spied this steak dinner for one recipe over on Food 52 a week or so ago and was immediately intrigued. A steak dinner for one in five minutes? I had to try it.

Not only was it quick and easy to execute, but the sauce that was created to serve with it sounded amazing.

I do enjoy a good steak every now and then. Its simply one of my favorite things. I had picked up a couple of nice looking steaks at the grocery store one day a couple of weeks ago that had been marked down by 30%.

Steak is usually an expensive proposition, but when they are marked down reasonably I cannot resist. These were on their sell by date, which meant they were still good. Marked down for quick sale, but perfectly great to pop into the freezer for a later date.

Steak is not something I buy for myself when I am eating out in a restaurant unless it is a high end restaurant. Most of the times that I have done so I have been extremely disappointed. Tough, over cooked and tasteless.

That's been my experience 99.99 % of the time. Mostly because I can't afford to eat in a high end restaurant! So, generally speaking, it has been something that I cook for myself at home, and I can tell you, I am never disappointed.

I know the chef personally!

I like my steaks medium rare. Nice and pink in the center. Or at the very least, medium. Anything more than that and I am disappointed. Its all in the timing of course!

This steak, with its delicious sauce, was perfectly timed and perfectly cooked. I was not disappointed in the least!

I have to say however that the green beans were nothing to write home about. They could have stood to be a bit more cooked as far as I was concerned, but that is all a matter of taste.

WHAT YOU NEED TO COOK A 5 MINUTE STEAK DINNER FOR ONE

Very simple ingredients, somewhat surprising, but very tasty!

1 boneless strip steak or rib eye, thin cut, 1/2 inch thick (7 to 8 ounces)

kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 TBS oil with a high smoking point

1 small handful of fresh green beans, washed and trimmed

1 fresh lime, divided

1 tsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp soft dark brown sugar

1 TBS cold butter

If you look at the photograph on the Food 52 page it shows a bone in steak, and yet the recipe calls for a boneless steak. Mine was boneless. It was not quite 1/2 inch thick, but was very close.

I have a dedicated section in my refrigerator that contains all kinds of ingredients for Asian cooking, one of them which is fish sauce. Don't be afraid of fish sauce. It adds a lovely salty Unami flavor to the steak sauce.

Use fresh lime juice. I am not a huge fan of the reconstituted citrus juices you see on the shop shelves. I find they are highly acidic and have an almost medicinal scent and flavor to them. But that could just be me.

I have to be upfront and tell you, I was not a huge fan of the green beans. Not cooked enough in my opinion and the black specks from where I cooked the steak were a bit off putting looks-wise, although it did not affect their taste.

I would skip the green beans altogether if I cook this again, and I can totally see myself cooking this steak recipe again, as the steak was really delicious!

I used light olive oil.

HOW TO COOK A 5 MINUTE STEAK DINNER FOR ONE

Quick, easy delicious. What more could you ask for?

Have everything ready to go before you start. You will need to juice 1/2 of the lime and cut the other half into wedges. Bring your steak to room temperature. Season on both sides with some salt and black pepper.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed skillet just to smoking point. Add the steak. Pressing down with tongs, cook for 2 minutes on the first side, flip over and then cook for 1 minute on the other side. (Medium rare.)

Remove the steak and keep warm. Add the green beans to the skillet. Toss in the fat and cook for about 1 1/2 minutes, until crispy tender. Remove them and the skillet from the heat.

Plate your steak on a warm plate and add the green beans to the side.

To the still hot skillet, add the lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and butter, whisking it all together to amalgamate. Pour this sauce over the steak and beans.

Serve hot with the remaining lime wedges for squeezing.

As I said, I was not a fan of the beans, but the steak itself with that sauce was excellent! Tender, juicy, perfectly cooked and the sauce was the perfect balance of salty and sweet. I loved it. Do squeeze some lime juice over the finished steak when you to go enjoy it. Very delicious!

I enjoyed a nice baked potato on the side of this. I will always have potato of some sort with my steak. Old habits die hard!

Some other steak recipes here in The English Kitchen that you might also enjoy are:

GARLIC STEAK BITES AND POTATOES - Delicious, quick, easy. Rump steak, marinates in a delicious soy/srirachi marinade while you cook potato wedges to perfection in a skillet. The marinated steak slices are added at the end and quickly browned. The two together are totally delicious. A salad on the side is all you need to complete the meal.

GRILLED STEAK SANDWICH - A pub style steak sandwich. Rump steaks flash fried and served atop a slice of toasted sour dough bread, rubbed with a clove of garlic and spread with some horseradish mayonnaise. A melty cheese melts on top of the hot steaks and the sandwich is finished off with grilled mushrooms and a handful of baby arugula/rocket. A knife and fork sandwich designed to bring the ultimate in eating pleasure!

Yield: 1

Author: Marie Rayner