Steak & Mash with Leek Crisps – AIP, Paleo, Whole 30

I had a mashed potato craving.   And that usually goes right alongside a steak craving, y’all. So, guess what? This carrot mash with leeks made its debut on the menu the other evening!  Hunni and I had our date night in with two lovely beef filet steaks with the mash.

Thanks to Beyond the Bite’s Gabriella Schneider posting a delicious way to prepare the green (and often-discarded) tops of leeks, I was inspired to make a steak topping that mimicked caramelized onions with the remaining bits of leek.  They came out so lusciously crisped and delicately chewy, with a wonderful sweet caramel onion flavor. It made me wish that leeks came with more green parts. Soooooooo tasty and simple!

The trick to making a great steak is to let it come to room temperature before cooking it.  This way, the center won’t be as cold as a brass brazier while the outside gets burnt to a crisp while you try to get it to temp. (eww).  

Another trick is a good, hot cast iron skillet and oil with a high smoke point. I prefer avocado oil (this brand has a smoke point of 500 F. Yeah, pretty cool...)  Get the skillet nice and hot over medium-medium-high heat (in between medium and medium-high), season your steaks with a proper amount of  Himalayan salt, add your oil, and carefully set the steaks down into the hot fat.

And please, oh please…leave it alone for about 3 minutes on this first side. No no touchy touchy.  When you move it around more than necessary, you are guaranteed to forego the lovely golden crust that only forms when the steak is left to sizzle. After that, use a pair of tongs to pick up ye olde filet, and let it sear for about 2-3 minutes on each remaining side (total of about 8-9 minutes for medium rare on a 6 oz steak).

I am pretty adamant about using a splatter screen / guard during this process.  Unless you like surprise splops (yep, I said “splops”) on your arms/face/neck and (I could go on about the body parts marred by my restaurant-chef-days via hot-oil scars… *ahem*) also all over the stove/utensils/floor/dog, use a splatter guard for pan-frying, my dear.  Your extremities and your dog will thank me, I promise! 🙂

Now…on to the gratuitous displays of foodie-ism…drool drool drool:

To make this Animal-Based: Omit leeks and sub extra carrots for the mash.

Steak & Carrot Mash with Leek Crisps

2016-04-03 17:17:40

Serves 2

A more digestible and nutrient-dense take on Steak & Potatoes that's elegant enough for a date-night dinner but simple to prepare. AIP, Whole 30, Low-FODMAP, Bulletproof

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

40 min

Total Time

55 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

40 min

Total Time

55 min

Ingredients

1. STEAKS
2. 1 Tb Avocado oil
3. 2 6 oz Beef filet steaks, room temperature
4. 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
5. CARROT LEEK MASH
6. 1 lb Carrots, trimmed and roughly chopped into ~2" pieces
7. 1 Leek, white and light green parts sliced and washed very well (**omit for Low-FODMAP**), and thick green tops trimmed and set aside
8. 2 Tb Coconut oil, refined
9. -or- Pastured lard or tallow
10. 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt, or to taste
11. LEEK GREENS
12. Reserved green tops from leek, chopped into 1" or smaller pieces
13. 1 tsp Avocado oil
14. 1 pinch Himalayan salt

Instructions

1. Steam carrots and white and light leek slices using a silicone steamer basket in a lidded pot over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until carrots are fork-tender.
2. While veggies are steaming, heat avocado oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-medium-high heat.
3. While oil is getting hot, season steaks with Himalayan salt.
4. Carefully place steaks in hot pan using tongs, and cover with a splatter guard.
5. Sear 2-3 minutes on each side for a total of approximately 8-10 minutes for medium-rare doneness.
6. While steaks are searing, roast green parts of leeks on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 375 F for 15 minutes or until just starting to brown on the edges. (These burn easily so peek in on them once in a while.
7. When carrots are tender, strain well in a colander, and return to the same pot.
8. Add coconut oil, tallow or lard, and salt, and puree with an immersion blender until it becomes a nicely pureed consistency.

Notes

1. Serve leek greens atop steak atop mash for a fancy presentation.

By Samantha Jo Teague, The Unskilled Cavewoman

Adapted from Gabriella Schneider's Paleo Roasted Leek Greens

Adapted from Gabriella Schneider's Paleo Roasted Leek Greens

Primal Sam https://primalsam.com/