For Dinner

I'm grilling top sirloin and shall enjoy it with twice baked potatoes with cheddar and caramelized onions as well as a hot, garlicky rainbow chard with almonds.

Recipes involved: Simply Steak, Herbed Butter, Twice baked potatoes with cheddar and carmelized onions, hot, garlicky rainbow chard with almonds. All recipes by Ted Allen (my commentary in parentheses)

Simply Steak

serves 2

2 high-quality steaks, each about 10 ounces each and 1 inch thick (I went with top sirloin found at my grocery co-op, Missippi Market, you can't find it this good in a Cub Foods)

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper (this means from a peppermill, go buy one)

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (I bought this at Mississippi Market as well)

1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter (I used the herbed butter found later in this post)

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Season the steaks on both sides with the salt and pepper, then massage in the olive oil with your fingers. Heat a cast-iron skillet (go buy one, it's worth it) over high heat for 3 minutes, until very hot. Add the butter, When it melts, add the steaks. Let them sizzle away for 1.5 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven, and cook for 6 minutes for rare, 8 minutes for medium-rare (if you want your steak more well done than this, stop reading right now and go to Ponderosa).

Carefully remove the VERY HOT SKILLET from the oven using an oven mitt. Remove the steaks from the pan, put them on a plate, and cover with foil. Let them rest 5 minutes before serving. Don't skip that step.

645 calories per serving

Herbed Butter

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

.5 Teaspoon minced fresh basil (not dried from the spice rack)

.5 Teaspoon minced fresh chives

.5 Teaspoon of oregano or marjoram

.25 Teaspoon salt

Pinch freshly ground white pepper

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and mash together with a fork. Dump the butter onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and roll it up into a cylinder, 1.5 inches in diameter. Wrap up the cylinder and put in the fridge to firm up.

Twice-baked Potatoes with Cheddar and Caramelized Onions

serves 2

2 large Yukon gold potatoes

4 Tablespoons unsalted (or herbed) butter

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced

.75 Cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese (grate it yourself, it's better)

.25 Cup whole milk

2 Teaspoons salt

1 Teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Prick the potatoes all over with a fork. Place them on a foil lined baking sheet and cook for 1 hour, or until totally tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. 

Meanwhile, prepare the onions: In the biggest skillet you have, melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion slices and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until they take on just a little bit of color. Reduce the heat to very low and let cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until a soothing golden color and a soft, soft consistency. Set aside. 

Remove the cooked potatoes from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350 F. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, halve lengthwise. Using a large spoon, scoop out most of the flesh, leaving behind a .25 inch thick cup of potato skin. Set the cups aside. 

Place the flesh in a medium mixing bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the cheese, milk, and the salt and pepper. Loosely mash with a fork or potato masher just to the point of incorporating the flavors, not a full puree. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. 

Mound the mashed potato mixture back into the cups, and top with the caramelized onions. 

Place the cups on the baking sheet and return them to the oven. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Top with a sprinkle of chives. 

298 calories per serving...but so worth it!

Hot, Garlicky Rainbow Chard with Almonds

serves 2

2 lbs rainbow chard (I only ended up using 1 lb)

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

.75 cup slivered almonds

1 Teaspoon salt

.4 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the chard and cook for 2 minutes, until wilted and tender. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and allow to cool slightly. Using your hands, squeeze out as much of the water as possible. Pat dry with paper towels. Coarsely chop into large pieces and, again, pat dry with paper towels. 

In a large skillet over medium flame, heat the olive oil. Add the pepper flakes and the garlic and saute for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the chopped chard and slivered almonds and saute, stirring once or twice, for 5 minutes; the chard should take on a little bit of brownness. Mix in the salt and pepper, taste, and add more if you want. Serve hot.

62 calories per serving

Tools Used

Pepper Mill
Cast Iron Skillet
Nonstick Skillet
Mixing Bowls
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
Oven Mitts
Rotary Grater
Large Pot
Baking Sheet
Various Knives

Most of these items are available for sale from my friend Nicole's webstore, The Pampered Chef. Those you cannot find there, can be found at Amazon.

All recipes presented in this post are either exact from Ted Allen, or variations of his recipes. The original recipes for this post can be found in Queer Eye for the Straight Guy book, which can be found on Amazon or at your local bookstore.