Pan-Seared Ribeye with Garlic, Spicy Sauteed Kale, and Yam Puree

*Post by Angela.

Lately (as in, for the two meals we've made so far in our new place), we've been making it a point to try to make more complete meals, with a protein, vegetable and starch, and we continued that scheme the other night. Mark declared that he wanted to make a yam puree. I left that in his hands and for my part, hit up my man Emeril for appropriately-for-Halloween-month-garlic-heavy and simple recipes for ribeye steaks and sauteed kale. The original recipe called for escarole, but Mark claims he couldn't find it. Nevertheless, it all still turned out really well.

Normally I would list the ingredients used to make the yam puree here, but Mark sort of winged it, and I was happy to let him.  While I was still at work, Mark started dinner prep by slicing and halving three yams into one inch pieces (below).  You may notice that Mark decided against peeling the yams first, which left him with twenty extra minutes of busy work once they were roasted. 

Once the yams were all sliced, he threw them in the oven to roast for an hour at 450 degrees. Feel free to drizzle a little oil on the little guys before cooking to prevent burning/drying out, something Mark probably would have done had there been proper adult supervision. 

When Mark pulled the yams from the stove, he peeled them and ran them through the ricer while they were still hot.  He also minced one jalapeno pepper and stirred it into the yams, along with 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 3 tablespoons of butter. 

Mark then went on to add a dash each of the following: nutmeg, cinammon, salt, sugar, cardamon and cayenne. Mark couldn't resist mixing in a little sriracha, which is one of the reasons I love him so much.

At this point, I made it home and began working on the other meal elements, staring with the kale.

List of ingredients for the kale:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2-1 tbsp crushed red pepper
• 2 heads kale, cut crosswise into 1 inch slices
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

First, I heated the oil in a large pan over medium heat and sauteed the garlic and red pepper flakes for just a minute or so, long enough for the wonderful aroma of the combination to start wafting out of the pan.

I threw in the kale, chicken broth, and salt, gave the ingredients a stir, covered the pan and cooked for just 2-3 minutes, until the kale had wilted. I uncovered the pan and cooked for an additional 4-5 minutes until the kale was tender and had lost its bitter flavor. I finished the kale off with the lemon juice, and let it sit as I moved onto the steak.

List of ingredients for the steak:

• 2 ribeyes, about 1 1/2" thick
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp minced garlic

Before I even started on the kale, I  took the steaks out of the fridge, generously seasoned them on both sides with salt and pepper, and let them sit for about 20 minutes in order to bring them to room temperature.

I heated the olive oil with 1 tbsp of the butter in a pan over medium-high heat, then added the steaks and let them cook (without messing with them) until well-browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Then I flipped them over, topped each steak with half of the remaining butter and 1 tbsp of the garlic, and let them cook an additional 4-5 minutes, just until the other side was brown enough for my liking. I removed the pan from heat, flipped the steaks over one last time and let them sit for a moment in order to make sure both sides got some garlic love. 

I removed the steaks to a plate, poured the drippings over the meat, and let them rest for about 10 minutes while we put the finishing touches on the yams and the kale. Upon slicing into the meat, I found a gorgeous medium rare.

Even though these were fairly simple recipes, I feel like I'm starting to get my kitchen groove back. The completed product was hugely satisfying and delicious, and will do just the trick in protecting us once those vampires start coming around at the end of the month.

Comments

[FoodWanderings]

You are back baby!! This looking so hearty and delicious. Been craving Fall meals now for days since all we do nowadays, since Sagie left for college, is nibble on this and that. Been crazed for sweet potatoes lately too!! Looking good Ang. Shulie

[Angela]

Thanks, Shulie! Yeah, fall puts me in a nibble-y mood, too. The sweet potatoes were all Mark, and I'm so proud of him! Hopefully he'll help me out more often now.

[Kim]

it makes me mad that these photos are so good-looking (especially the last one), and yet you are no longer within a 15 minute walk

[Angela]

Unless you move to L.A...then I'll cook for you every night.

[Debb]

Thanks to your and Mark's tweeting, I had a hankering for ribeye so badly I had it two consecutive nights.

[Angela]

Nothin' wrong with that! Ribeye. Ah, the king of the steaks.