it's always hard for me to cook for someone for the first time. my self-consciousness rises to new heights and my taste buds don't ever seem to throughly enjoy what i've prepared. i'm always dreading my friends being too polite while secretly wanting to spit out what i've made. though they never do and most even asks for seconds.
when my friend recently asked me to make something for him i felt that awkward first twinge of fear which grew into nauseous alarm when he threw in that he'd really enjoy "a steak or something". you know what? i get it, he's from minnesota where i'm sure cow is served in some form for breakfast, lunch, & dinner but here in los angeles steak seems unhealthy, fattening, and most of all cooking one threatens to set off the two fire alarms in my 900 square foot apartment.
personally, i love steak. it, along with sushi, is one of the main reasons i could never be a vegetarian but preparing a strip steak in my home always seemed intimidating. i could probably manage to cook it, yes, but would it be good? i was willing to gamble my reputation and friendship to find out.
my fire alarm ended up sounding for 15 straight minutes but, boy, was that crust worth it.
strip steak
adapted from gq
servers 2
- 1 strip steak of the best quality you can afford, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick, about 1 pound.
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt & black pepper
- fresh parsley {optional}
- take the steak out of the fridge about an hour before cooking. let come to room temperature.
- set your oven to 500 degrees.
- heat tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until it's smoking.*
- pat the steak dry with paper towels. generously salt and pepper it on all sides.
- lay the steak in the pan and cook, untouched, for about 5 minutes. flip and move skillet to the oven. cook steak for about 8 more minutes.
- remove the skillet from the oven and cover the steak with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.
- drizzle steak with extra virgin olive oil and finish with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.
