from Steak Revolution
This recipe isn’t really a whole meal, though I have absolutely eaten it as such with my more carnivorous friends. The vegetable adornments add concentrated flavours that complement the meat perfectly.
Look for a steak with a generous fat cap, to render for frying. If your steak is too well trimmed, use a tablespoon of duck fat or lard.
As many red peppers as you like (or 1 red pepper for every two dinner guests)
As many whole heads of garlic as you like (or 1 head per dinner guest)
Olive oil, for cooking
1 big bone-in rib steak, 2 inches thick or more (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon salt
PLACE a wire rack on the middle rack of the oven and line the rack below it with enough foil to catch the steak drippings while allowing the steak to bask freely
in your oven’s dry winds. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
USING A VERY SHARP KNIFE, cut the red peppers into matchsticks. Set aside.
PLACE each head of garlic on a piece of foil large enough to cover it completely. Drizzle garlic with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt, then wrap snugly.
THINLY COAT a cast-iron pan or baking sheet in olive oil. Place wrapped garlic and red pepper match-sticks on pan, keeping them separate. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn peppers over so they roast evenly. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the peppers are soft but not soggy. (Roasting them this way should get them to dry out before their own juices poach them, so they aren’t wilted and have a more concentrated flavour.) Remove pan from oven and set aside. The peppers will hold nicely in the pan, and the garlic will continue to cook a little in the foil. If you find the garlic is not soft enough (when squeezed it should give underneath the foil), leave the pan in the oven as you continue to the next step.
REDUCE OVEN TEMPERATURE to 225°F. Sprinkle steak all over with salt. Place your salted steak on the wire rack (this is a good time to also check on your
garlic and remove if ready) and cook in preheated oven for about 30 minutes per pound (about 1 1/2 hours total), turning once halfway through to dry out both sides evenly, until it reaches an internal temperature of 115°F in the meaty middle (that is, not in a seam or in fat, but in the meatiest part of the middle of the steak).
WHEN YOUR STEAK IS READY, remove it from the oven and turn oven off. Place pan of roasted garlic and peppers in oven to warm through.
HEAT a heavy pan (cast iron, stainless steel, or non- stick with a heat-cookie bottom) on high heat until very hot. Using tongs, hold your steak upright, with its
fat cap against the pan’s surface. Move the steak slowly around the pan until enough fat has rendered to coat it. Sear steak on both sides until a nice, dark brown crust develops and the steak reaches an internal temperature approaching 125°F in the middle.
TRANSFER your steak to a sheet of foil, wrap very loosely, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
USING A SHARP KNIFE, cut off the bone, keeping it just a bit meaty to serve as a lucky prize with the big steak. Cut steak crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Serve
right on the carving board, if your board has a runnel and well, or on a warmed platter. Adorn steak with red pepper matchsticks and roasted garlic, directing your guests to squish the savoury garlic paste from its paper, as a condiment for their steak.
Recipes from Steak Revolution by Rob Firing ©2018. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Nada’s Tips & Tricks:
We grilled the steaks on the bbq instead of the oven…Rob’s recipes allow people without outdoor space to enjoy a nicely grilled steak by using the oven and stovetop. We like to add Montreal steak spice to our meat – use whatever seasoning you like!
We had a few steaks left over so the following night, I warmed up sliced steak on top of leftover mushroom gravy, along with garlic carrots & prosciutto, and a vegetable stir fry (onions, garlic, celery, potatoes, yellow peppers, cremini mushrooms) and creamed them with leftover sour cream and green onions (from last night’s baked potato toppings).
