Filet Mignon With Crispy Shallots

Filet Mignon With Crispy Shallots

A few years ago I discovered a particular way to cook steak, a method that produced a steak rivaling any I’d ever been served in a fine dining establishment. I’ve rarely ordered steak in a restaurant since.

When perusing the menu at one of our favorite fine dining spots, Highlands Bar And Grill, I am occasionally tempted by the mouth-watering sides served alongside the steak (hello, duck fat-roasted butterball potatoes!), but I don’t order it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the steak is delicious, but I am quite content with my juicy, dare I say “perfect,” steaks that I can prepare in my home kitchen while wearing sweatpants and drinking a beer.  

We are not huge consumers of red meat, so we often splurge on grass-fed filets when steak is the main event. If you’re interested in tracking down local grass-fed beef, www.eatwild.com lists farms and distributors by state. You can also find a decent selection of grass-fed meat at most Whole Foods stores.

Filet Mignon With Crispy Shallots
Adapted from  The Food Network
We enjoy our steaks medium-rare, lightly brushed with butter and piled high with crispy shallots.

Ingredients
2 6-oz. filet mignon or other quality cut
Canola oil to coat the steaks + extra for frying the shallots
1 tablespoon salted butter
Salt and ground black pepper
6 shallots, thinly sliced

Directions
Place 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring steaks to room temperature.

Meanwhile, pour oil into a small heavy pot to a depth of 1/2 inch and set heat to medium-high. After five minutes, add the shallots. Keep a close eye on them, and when they start to turn light golden brown, begin transferring them to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon. They will darken slightly as they sit. Let cool.  (Shallots can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.) 

When oven reaches 500 degrees, remove the skillet from the oven and place on range over high heat. Coat steaks lightly with oil and season both sides with salt and pepper. Immediately place steaks in the middle of the hot, dry pan. Cook the steaks for 1 minute without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 1 minute, then put the skillet immediately into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip steak and cook for another 2 minutes. This cooking time will give you medium-rare steaks, assuming your filets are approximately 1 1/2 inches thick. Adjust the cooking time according to the thickness of your steaks and your individual preference.

After removing steaks from oven, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes. Spread ½ tablespoon of salted butter on top of each steak. Garnish with crispy shallots. Serve immediately.

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