Chopped Steak Recipe
6 strips diced smoked uncured bacon
2 pounds ground sirloin, formed into 8 ounce patties
2 small peeled thickly sliced yellow onions
4 cups domestic mushrooms, cut in half
4 cups beef stock
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shredded Idaho potatoes
coarse salt and cracked fresh pepper to taste
Season the beef patties with salt and pepper and set aside.
In a hot large saute pan over medium heat add in bacon and cook until crispy. Once the bacon is cooked reserve to the side and use the same pan to add seasoned meat.
Sear the meat for 2 to 3 minutes per side until browned but not cooked through.
Remove the chopped steaks from the pan once brown and set aside on a plate. Next, add the onions and mushrooms to the pan, turn the heat down to medium, and caramelize for about 12 to 15 minutes.
Once the vegetables are nice and golden brown, deglaze with the beef stock add in the thyme, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil.
Add the bacon and chopped steaks and simmer over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the chopped steak is cooked through.
As an optional side, In a separate large saute pan over medium-high heat add in the olive oil and shredded potatoes. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping the potatoes over every 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the chopped steak with the onions, mushrooms, gravy, and optional hash browns side dish.
Notes
Make-Ahead: These are meant to be eaten when they’re done cooking. However, you can keep them warm in a pan with the mushroom and onion gravy, covered, for up to 1 hour over very low heat.
How to Store: Store this chopped steak in a plastic container or cover it in plastic and refrigerate for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months and covered in plastic. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add your desired portions to a sauté pan with a 1/4 cup of beef stock, cover in foil, and cook in the oven at 400° for 10 to 12 minutes.
Reheating your steak will 100% cause it to increase in internal temperature, most likely past medium and into medium-well.
The #/# ratios you see for beef represent lean meat-to-fat. The first number is always lean, and the second is always fat.
If you do not want to use bacon in this recipe, substitute the bacon fat with 2 tablespoons of olive or avocado oil, lard, ghee, clarified butter, or beef tallow.
True caramelized onions take about 45 minutes or so to caramelize properly.
When cooking the onions, you can add a bit of water or wine to deglaze the pan and remove all the fond that is stuck to the bottom of that pan.
Fond is that goodness on the bottom of the pan when roasting something that adds a lot of flavor to your recipe.
The gravy will not be extremely thick, so feel free to remove the beef and stir in a 1/2 recipe of beurre manie over low heat until it thickens.
Tuna and Caper Tomato Pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes (crushed)
2 tablespoons capers (drained)
1/4 cup kalamata olives (pitted and diced)
2 anchovies (minced, optional)
1 can tuna (drained)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound spaghetti
1 handful parsley (chopped)
Heat the oil in the pan at medium heat.
Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and chili pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the white wine, deglaze the pan and then simmer until it has almost all evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and capers and simmer until the sauce just starts to thicken, about 10 minutes.
Add the olives, anchovies and tuna and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta as directed
Season the tomato sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the tomato sauce from the heat and mix in the parsley.
Toss the pasta in the sauce and serve.
