Manly Men Love Meat and Potatoes

Anyone who knows me will say that I am in no way a selfish person.  Those who know me well will tell you that's mostly true.  That being said, I picked up the phone on my desk the other afternoon and called my boyfriend, as I frequently do, to ask him what he wanted for dinner that night.  I prefer to let him pick, although you could argue this is slightly selfish of me, if only because should what I make end up tasting awful, I can blame him for picking it in the first place.  "I don't care," came the response (no one ever accused either of us of being decisive).  So, I offered up a choice, knowing no matter what was chosen I'd have to stop at the market on my way home.

"Do you want steak and smashed fingerling potatoes or pork chops with apples," was the question posed to him, having spent the better part of my lunch break pouting over one of my many cook books.  "Oooh.  Steak.  Definitely steak."  Gay or not, we're still men, and men love their meat and potatoes.  After immediately blocking out the image of the obnoxious bald guy from the "Meat and Potatoes" show on Food Network who makes me want to gauge my ears ("Meat, meat, meaty-dee, meat, meat," in that nasally voice that does nothing but want to induce a Van Gogh moment of cutting my ear off) and eyes (Ugh... that bald head and those glasses!) out, I settle on Broiled Tenderloin Steaks with Ginger-Hoisin Glaze  and Sauteed Mushrooms with Garlic Ranch Smashed Potatoes.  Make sure to read through to the end, though, because this will be my first admittance of room for improvement.

Ginger-Hoisin Glazed Steaks

• 1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 1 1/2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp teriyaki sauce
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloins
• Salt (to taste)

 Sauteed Mushrooms

• 1 Package of sliced Cremini Mushrooms
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp Marsala wine
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

Garlic Ranch Smashed Potatoes

• 3 lbs fingerling potatoes
• 1/2 cup light ranch dressing
• 1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• Salt

First, preheat your broiler to high.  Next, place the fingerling potatoes in a pot and fill with cold water until the potatoes are just covered.  Season with salt.  Bring to a boil and then cover and let cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.


While the potatoes are cooking, combine the hoisin sauce, ginger, honey, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and crushed red pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine.


Next, place the steaks on a foil-lined broiler pan coated with cooking spray (trust me on the foil lining whenever broiling - it makes clean up infinitely easier at the end of the evening!); sprinkle with salt.  Broil the steaks about 5 inches from the heat for 2 minutes, and then turn them.  Broil for an additional 2 minutes.  Now, remove the steaks from the oven and flip them again.  Before placing them back in the oven, brush them with half of your hoisin glaze.  Broil for 1 more additional minute.  Remove the steaks and turn them again, brushing the other side with the remaining hoisin glaze; broil for an additional 2 minutes for a nice medium rare steak, or until cooked to your desired temperature.

While the steaks are broiling, add your mushrooms, butter and wine to a medium sized skillet over medium-low heat and saute, stirring frequently, until the juice begins to thicken and the mushrooms are soft, about 5-6 minutes.  Once done, reduce the heat to low to keep warm until steak and potatoes are plated, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.


Once the potatoes are done boiling, drain them and place them in a bowl you don't mind using a potato masher in (if using non-stick pans, you should never use any metal spoon or kitchen utensil in them as they may scratch your non-stick coating, thus defeating the purpose of the pan...).  Alternatively, you can use a KitchenAid mixer (or any stand or hand mixer) if you wish.  I just prefer my handy potato masher since I like to leave lumps in my mashed potatoes.  Once you have them mashed or beaten to the consistency you prefer, stir in your ranch dressing, garlic and Parmesan cheese.

For plating this dish, put a heaping scoop of potato down in the center of your plate and flatten off the top, spreading the potatoes out until the scoop on the plate is roughly a wide as your steak.  Next, place the steak on top of the potatoes.  This will help to keep your potatoes warm and makes the plate look a little less busy.  Lastly, pour some of your mushrooms over the top of your steak.  For garnish, feel free to through a little bit of minced parsley around the edge of one part of your plate.  It adds a fresh earthy tone to the dish as well.

I served this dish with a beer for me, because really, what goes better with meat and potatoes than beer?  You could also serve it with a nice glass of red wine.  Then there is my boyfriend who seems to drink only gin martinis.  They go with everything, apparently!

So, now that you've made dinner, plated it, had a drink or two and eaten, you probably realized the same thing I did.  The potatoes did NOT go with this dish at all!  While I do love them, the flavor did not match the Asian infused glaze on the steaks.  Next time, I will be forgoing the the ranch and Parmesan, opting instead to throw in a little of the Marsala wine, butter and a splash of soy sauce to make them slightly less dense, with some diced and sauteed mushrooms added for texture.  Let me know what you think, or what your suggestions are as well!  Comment on this post and share them with everyone!

Until next time, happy eating!