Pan-Seared Rib Eye Steak

In need of something other than chicken, I made a stop at the grocery store specifically for steak and a green side (which turned out to be broccoli) after work.

Remembering Alton Brown's rib eye steak directions from a YouTube video once observed some time ago, I selected the smallest rib eye in the case. Priced at $6.99/lb, this 0.45 lb steak cost me $2.70.

Normally, I'd avoid something that cost so much for what would essentially be a single serving. But did I mention yet that I was sick of eating chicken?

Steak in hand and a head of broccoli later, I was out of the store.

Alton Brown's pan-seared steak directions calls for a steak with a thickness of about 1.5". That's a thick steak. The one I bought was barely half-an-inch thick, if that.

Alton recommends to salt, pepper and oil the steak before searing it on both sides and then baking it for a few minutes in the oven, yielding a crust on each side of the steak with a perfectly cooked interior.

With such a skinny steak, I followed Alton's directions but opted to skip the oven step. My steak was a third of his.

So I heated a cast iron skillet over medium heat until it was nuclear reactor hot. Meanwhile, I salted and peppered each side of the steak; then I rubbed each side with a little bit of canola oil before throwing the steak into the skillet.

The resulting sizzle made me foam at the mouth like a rabid dog.

After a couple minutes of searing without disturbing it, the steak was flipped to yield a nice brown crust.

A couple more undisturbed minutes later, the steak was removed from the skillet and placed on a plate, which was then covered loosely with foil. While the steak stood, I sauteed some mushrooms (left in the fridge destined to go bad otherwise) in butter in the steak skillet and steamed the broccoli.

The steak looked perfect especially when adorned with such beautifully prepared sides!

Unfortunately, the steak was a little bit too rare for me. I wound up throwing it back in the skillet for a minute on each side, yielding a perfect medium rare.


Delicious, simply divine. Why don't I eat steak every single day from now on?!

Cost:

• boneless rib eye steak: $2.70/0.45 lb

Total: $2.70 for one generous serving. 

As I said, I normally wouldn't go this route for a single serving, but I had to do something nice for myself after eating chicken, chicken, more chicken, chicken and even more chicken.  I was going to lose my mind.

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