Steak with garlic butter and 30 minute healthy baked fries

And Selena Gomez liked my video?!

Welcome back to another episode of Monday Munchies! You may have noticed that I am a little late with this week’s recipe but I promise I have a good excuse. No, it’s not the fact that Selena Gomez liked my video and I may or may not have freaked out (I totally freaked out), it was actually my daughters third birthday! Over the past few months, she had been pleading with us for a birthday party. But with the arrival of our second daughter due just 6 weeks prior, planning a party seemed like an exhausting feat. Although with lots and lots (and lots and lots and lots) of begging, we said yes, the invites were sent out and a birthday party was in the works!

Being the hostess that I am, I could not help myself but throw quite the celebration with homemade party platters (why can’t I just order catering?!) and a glitter, sprinkle and purple cake (as per the birthday girls request). Now while I love to cook, making a tiered birthday cake from scratch does not sit within my cooking skills set and this task STRESSED me out! Personally, I thought the cake looked like a hot mess that a unicorn had thrown up on (I’m quite the perfectionist when it comes to food I make in the kitchen), but my daughter absolutely loved it and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.

So while I sit here with an aching back, throbbing feet and tired eyes, I could not think of a better time to introduce this quick and easy steak and fries recipe for the next instalment of Monday Munchies. I know I will be turning to this recipe more than once this week. It’s sort of the lazy version of steak and frites yet it does not disappoint on flavour at all.

I love making a decadent steak dinner with my triple cooked chips and usually a homemade sauce, but these require time and something I tend to leave for the weekend. So enter my 30 minute healthy olive oil baked fries and quick garlic butter. There is no soaking, peeling, freezing, deep frying or confiting. It’s just simple, healthy and delicious.

And if you are scared of cooking a steak, I have all my tips for you below that will have you whipping up a steak like a pro in no time.

All the tips

Oh, cooking a good steak. It can seem rather intimidating and something us home cooks tend to leave to the experts. It’s is one of those foods that when it’s good it is amazing, perfect. And, when it’s bad, it borderlines inedible but I have all the tips to help you nail your steak that will give those fancy restaurants a run for their money. And if you follow these “rules”, you will be making the perfect steak every single time!

• Room temperature - Bring your steak to room temperature before cooking it. Take it out of the fridge at least 20 minutes prior to cooking. By bringing it to room temperature, your steak will cook more evenly and result in a more juicy and tender steak.

• Heavily season - Season your steak with lots of salt and pepper. You may think that it looks like a lot of salt but this not only flavour your steak but it will also help make the steak more tender. You also lose lots of the seasoning once the steak hits the pan. The black pepper will contribute to a beautiful crust.

• Hot, hot, hot - Use a smoking hot pan when cooking your steak! You want to see a haze coming from the pan before placing your steak onto it. A cast iron pan is best for when cooking steak but you can use also use a non-stick. The hotter the pan, the better your steak’s sear and crust will be.

• Don’t touch it - Make sure you do not touch or move the steak when you lay it into the pan as this will disrupt the searing process.

• Aromatics - These include fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme and raw garlic. This will beautifully flavour your steak.

• Timing - Timing is so important when it comes to cooking the perfect steak and as every steak is different when it comes to thickness and weight this will slightly alter every time. Once you have cooked a few steaks, you will be able to tell just by looking at it how long the steak needs to cook for. You will also be able to train yourself how to tell if it’s ready by giving it a little touch when its cooking in the pan. For a medium rare steak (internal temp of 130 - 140 F), you want it to be soft touch with a slight bounce. It will feel exactly how the bottom of your thumb feels when touching it. Make sure you have a timer on hand when cooking the steak.

• Rest - I know how difficult it can be to not cut into a beautiful piece of steak as soon as it comes off the pan but this step is so important as it leaves you with a juicer steak! I like to rest mine from 5 – 10 minutes.

What I’ve been cooking

Here is everything I have been cooking this week and sharing over on my website and YouTube channel.

• Steak frites with bearnaise - I know Monday Munchies is all about those quick and easy meals however, this recipe is for when you have the time to spoil yourself or those you love. It’s one of my favourite “treat yo self” meals with triple cooked fries and a homemade bearnaise sauce.

• Spaghetti and meatballs - this is my my families 100 year old meatball recipe that does not disappoint!

• Pinterest - Okay, so this one is not a recipe but if you are an aesthetic girly, pop over to my Pinterest to check out all the gorgeous food images we take over here at DK HQ.

The Recipe

Steak with garlic butter and 30 minute baked fries

Serves 2