On the menu tonight is Peppercork steaks with whiskey sauce and Double-baked potatoes.
For the potatoes, you will need;
6 small russet potatoes
5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
12 ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
4 large green onions, chopped
6 strips of bacon, cooked crisp
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups coarsely grated white cheddar cheese
First off, preheat your oven to 375F, and when it's there, toss your scrubbed potatoes right on the rack, with a couple of holes poked in each one.
Spend some time measuring out your ingredients. This really does make things much easier.
Here are my mushrooms;
I'm gonna melt 1 tablespoon of my butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and throw them all in. It seems like too much for one skillet, but they shrink pretty quickly.
Cook them for about 7 minutes, stirring often, until they start to brown a bit and suddenly let out tons of mushroom smell. When that's happened, throw in your green onions. Cook them for about 1 minute, until they wilt.
Set this aside. When your potatoes have cooked for about 1 hour, until they're tender, take them out. Using an oven mitt to shield your delicate hands, slice each potato in half longways, and lay them out flat side up on a baking sheet.
Use a spoon and scoop out the delicious potato inside out, and put into a bowl. Don't scoop too much out. You can see where I went too deep on a few.
In the bowl with your potato guts, mix in your cream cheese, sour cream, and your remaining butter. Take your bacon, that should be cooked until like this;
and crumble it into your mushroom mixture, and add the potato mixture, and a half a cup of your cheese.
Mix it well, until it looks like this;
Scoop that back into the potato skins, making a large mound on top, and cover with your remaining cheese, like this;
Let them sit for a few minutes.
We're gonna start on the steak now, and for that you'll need;
4 teaspoons four-peppercorn spice mix or whole black peppercorns
6 new york strip steaks
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2/3 cup whiskey, or bourbon if you wish
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2/3 cup beef stock or canned beef broth
Put your peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, and grind until they have a nice chunky texture. A few whole peppercorns are ok, but not a whole lot.
Rub your steaks kind of dry, and season them with salt. Sprinkle the peppercorns onto both sides of the steaks, and press in so that they stay.
Heat your oil in a skillet, and fry about 3 minutes per side for medium rare.
(I don't know what happened to my pictures of that)
Put your potatoes back in the oven, and find a saucepan that you don't mind being on fire. Heat your whiskey, or bourbon in it over medium low heat. Once it's putting off a bit of steam, turn off the heat and carefully light it with a match.
It's hard to tell in this picture because my flash was so bright, but this is on fire.
Let it burn for about 30 seconds, and put the lid on the pot to snuff out the fire. After the steaks have finished cooking, add a small bit of your butter in the skillet, and throw your chopped shallots into the steak grease. Shallots are those little red garlic-looking things you see in the grocery, for those who don't know.
After they've cooked for about 2 minutes on high heat, add your whiskey and beef stock. Bring to a rabid boil, and let reduce by half, about 4 minutes, and then whisk in your remaining butter, 1 tbsp at a time. Turn off heat.
By now your potatoes should have been in for about 20-25 minutes, take them out, spoon your sauce over your steaks, and serve.
For the potatoes, you will need;
6 small russet potatoes
5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
12 ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
4 large green onions, chopped
6 strips of bacon, cooked crisp
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups coarsely grated white cheddar cheese
First off, preheat your oven to 375F, and when it's there, toss your scrubbed potatoes right on the rack, with a couple of holes poked in each one.
Spend some time measuring out your ingredients. This really does make things much easier.
Here are my mushrooms;
I'm gonna melt 1 tablespoon of my butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and throw them all in. It seems like too much for one skillet, but they shrink pretty quickly.
Cook them for about 7 minutes, stirring often, until they start to brown a bit and suddenly let out tons of mushroom smell. When that's happened, throw in your green onions. Cook them for about 1 minute, until they wilt.
Set this aside. When your potatoes have cooked for about 1 hour, until they're tender, take them out. Using an oven mitt to shield your delicate hands, slice each potato in half longways, and lay them out flat side up on a baking sheet.
Use a spoon and scoop out the delicious potato inside out, and put into a bowl. Don't scoop too much out. You can see where I went too deep on a few.
In the bowl with your potato guts, mix in your cream cheese, sour cream, and your remaining butter. Take your bacon, that should be cooked until like this;
and crumble it into your mushroom mixture, and add the potato mixture, and a half a cup of your cheese.
Mix it well, until it looks like this;
Scoop that back into the potato skins, making a large mound on top, and cover with your remaining cheese, like this;
Let them sit for a few minutes.
We're gonna start on the steak now, and for that you'll need;
4 teaspoons four-peppercorn spice mix or whole black peppercorns
6 new york strip steaks
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2/3 cup whiskey, or bourbon if you wish
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2/3 cup beef stock or canned beef broth
Put your peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, and grind until they have a nice chunky texture. A few whole peppercorns are ok, but not a whole lot.
Rub your steaks kind of dry, and season them with salt. Sprinkle the peppercorns onto both sides of the steaks, and press in so that they stay.
Heat your oil in a skillet, and fry about 3 minutes per side for medium rare.
(I don't know what happened to my pictures of that)
Put your potatoes back in the oven, and find a saucepan that you don't mind being on fire. Heat your whiskey, or bourbon in it over medium low heat. Once it's putting off a bit of steam, turn off the heat and carefully light it with a match.
It's hard to tell in this picture because my flash was so bright, but this is on fire.
Let it burn for about 30 seconds, and put the lid on the pot to snuff out the fire. After the steaks have finished cooking, add a small bit of your butter in the skillet, and throw your chopped shallots into the steak grease. Shallots are those little red garlic-looking things you see in the grocery, for those who don't know.
After they've cooked for about 2 minutes on high heat, add your whiskey and beef stock. Bring to a rabid boil, and let reduce by half, about 4 minutes, and then whisk in your remaining butter, 1 tbsp at a time. Turn off heat.
By now your potatoes should have been in for about 20-25 minutes, take them out, spoon your sauce over your steaks, and serve.