Pat’s Skillet-Seared Steak with Herb Butter

Name: Pat’s Skillet-Seared Steak with Herb Butter
Yield: serves 2 to 4
Ingredients: Two 1-pound bone-in rib-eye steaks, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary; Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; Herb Butter (recipe follows); 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened; 4 roasted garlic cloves (see Know-how, page 186); 1/4 cup fresh parsley; 1 scallion, trimmed and chopped; 1 tablespoon fresh thyme; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; (makes one 6 x 2-inch log,or about 1 cup)

December 14, 2011

Forget the grill; Southerners have been pan-searing steak in cast-iron skillets since what seems like the beginning of time. That’s true enough in my family, where “let’s fix a steak” translates directly to “put the skillet on.” According to my brother-in-law, Pat, the best way to eat said pan-seared steak is hot out of the skillet with a fat knob of butter melting away on top. He’s right, of course, and this dish—embellished with a profusion of fresh green herbs—is for him.

Recipe notes

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