Sirloin Steak with Tarragon-Garlic Sour Cream

Happy New Year! *Annoying party horn sound effect.*

What…am I late? Oh, yeah. I'm still drowning in piles of unwritten posts. Alas, extra late hours at work and a bad sinus infection have consumed every ounce of my energy. And every tissue and napkin in the house. And to top it off, I still can't shake the holidays. The Christmas decorations are still up (although the sparkle is muted by all the dust). And my mind, stuck in a black hole of denial, keeps telling me I'm back in sunny Florida, not the bitter Michigan grayness that is my reality.

And you know what else is bitter? Me. Fourteen days ago when I made this recipe.

See, the night before, the hubby and I packed our overnight bags and set out for his in-laws to ring in the new year. We expected to be greeted by the usual. Lots of family, buttery Polish food and board games. What we arrived to, instead, was a frat party. Turns out my mother-in-law was working a night shift, so my husband's "older" brother decided to host his own shin dig, swapping the pierogies for jello shots and the board games for beer pong. Woulda been a great time. If I was 21. And in a frat.

So there we sat in the corner, like two Angela Martin's from The Office, contemplating risking our lives to ditch the party. Unfortunately, it was just too late and would have been too reckless on our part to release ourselves to the sea of drunk drivers that inevitably owned the road.

Instead, we sipped our drinks, tried to relax and did some major people watching. So, I guess the night wasn't completely void of good entertainment. A few people tripped in hilarious drunkenness. A few more slobbered out things they're sure to regret later. And the cherry on top - my husband's dad performed a solo dance around a small fire to "the chicken dance" while waving a palm branch.

Finally, at four a.m., we were escorted to a room to crash. I think I literally passed out. But New Year's Day festivities were back at my parent's house, so we had to be on the road in less than five hours. Five. I get cranky when I sleep less than eight.

So, yes, I was bitter. Bitter that I was exhausted all New Year's Day from something out of my control. Bitter that I reeked of smoke. Bitter that my definition of a good time (coffee and conversation anyone?) pegged me as an old fart and I somehow have become that person who can't even enjoy a New Year's Eve party.

But you know what fixes bitter moods? Food. Better yet, a steak-house dinner with all the fixings. And one that doesn't plague you with guilt, either. So after I scrubbed away the cigarette stench that lingered in every pore, my mom and I wrangled up some of my uncle's organically raised steak and got to work.

First, we made the sauce, a mix of brown mustard, sour cream, mayo, tarragon and garlic, which was simply amazing. It’s the kind of sauce you'll happily smother over even the tenderest, most expensive fillet mignon. And thankfully, it's also the kind of sauce that'll salvage an over-cooked piece of ordinary meat.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I ruined the steak. What we initially thought was sirloin, turned out to be some other cut, extremely pre-tenderized, that magically became well done the instant I placed it in the pan. Kinda like a hamburger. Ah well. We baked the potato wedges and moved on. (The recipe said to fry, but the potato bag said to bake, which seemed easier and healthier. )

 

 

When the steak and potatoes were done, we got out the sides and pulled up anxious chairs. It really only took a matter of minutes to assemble this meal. So simple. We served it with homemade yeast rolls with cherry butter, and a fresh Caesar salad. I tell you, a few bites and my bitter mood completely vanished.

Again, the sauce was so good. Seriously tasted like it came from a fancy steakhouse. I dipped everything in it. The steak. The potatoes. The rolls. A few rogue croutons. The steak turned out pretty good, too. While I would have preferred a juicy piece at medium rare, it wasn't nearly as overcooked as it looked. At least I couldn't tell under all that sauce.

And I have to say, any meal that can banish your bitterness, and make itself into an awesome sandwich the next day is a keeper in my book. A Happy New Year indeed.

 

Sirloin Steak with Tarragon-Garlic Sour Cream
Yield: 4 servings
(serving size: 3 ounces steak, 2/3 cup potatoes, and 3 tablespoons sauce)

Cookbook Note: The tangy sauce dresses up a steakhouse favorite. Packaged potato wedges round out the dish. Time: 40 minutes.

Ingredients:
1/3  cup  sour cream
1/4  cup  low-fat mayonnaise
2  tablespoons  whole-grain Dijon mustard
1  teaspoon  dried tarragon
1  teaspoon  bottled minced garlic
1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
1/4  teaspoon  black pepper, divided

Cooking spray
1  (1-pound) boneless sirloin steak, trimmed
1  (20-ounce) package refrigerated red potato wedges (such as Simply Potatoes)

Preparation:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of steak with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper; add steak to pan. Cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Keep warm.

Wipe pan with a paper towel; return to heat. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add the potatoes; sauté 15 minutes or until browned and thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Serve with steak and sauce.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 307 (32% from fat), Fat: 11g (sat 4.8g,mono 3.6g,poly 0.4g), Protein: 26.4g, Carbohydrate: 22.9g, Fiber: 3.7g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Iron: 2.1mg, Sodium: 732mg, Calcium: 44mg

Source: Cooking Light, 2007