Buffalo Steaks with Peppercorn Sauce and Roasted Potatoes

 *Post by Angela.

The weather last weekend was absolutely gorgeous, so even though I was sick, I took myself over to the Dupont Circle farmers market.  I picked up some buffalo ribeyes from Cibola Farms, and the cutest little red potatoes.  I've never cooked buffalo before, and wanted to do something special with it, so I found this recipe for marinade and peppercorn sauce.  I served it up with some roasted potatoes and a spinach salad (a post for another day), and while I know the photo below looks like a hot mess, it was a delicious and hearty hot mess!  Mark and I polished off this dinner in no time at all.

List of ingredients for the marinade:

• 1 can of beer
• 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco brand pepper sauce

The prep for dinner started the night before - I mixed beer, sugar, lime juice, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, oil, ginger and hot pepper sauce in large bowl or storage container.  I nestled the steaks in marinade, covered the container and refrigerated it overnight.

List of ingredients for the roasted red potatoes:

• 2 lbs. red potatoes
• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tsp. minced rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• fresh ground pepper

The next evening, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees, and minced up the garlic and rosemary pretty finely.

I halved the potatoes (or quartered them, if they were bigger), drizzled them with olive oil, added the garlic and rosemary.  I tossed everything thoroughly to make sure all the potatoes were covered and the rosemary and garlic were evenly distributed. 

I spread the potatoes in one layer on a baking sheet, seasoned with salt and pepper, and baked them for about 35 minutes (until tender). 

List of ingredients for the peppercorn sauce:

• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper 
• 21/2 Cups water
• 2 tsp. chicken stock granules
• 2 heaped tsp. cornflour
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

 

While the potatoes were in the oven, I minced up a heap of shallots.

I added the shallots to a saucepan with the wine and the pepper, brought the mixture to boil, then reduced the heat and simmered until mixture was reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

I added the water and the chicken stock granules, and simmered until the sauce reduced again by half.   I mixed a little water with the cornflour, added it to the sauce, then stirred until mixture thickened  I added the cream, stirred, and cooked until heated through. 

Finally, I took the steak out of the fridge and shook off the marinade.  I melted about a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in my grill pan, and cooked the steaks until nice and browned on both sides, and medium rare in the center (about 6-7 minutes a side).  

The potatoes, simple as they were, were really tasty.  I enjoyed the buffalo as well - I thought the meat was slightly sweeter but just as tender as beef ribeye, and the marinade gave the already flavorful steak a subtle boost.  Given the lower fat content of the buffalo, I may take myself over to the farmers market again today for Buffalo Ribeye 2: Electric Boogaloo.