Ribeye Steaks & Sweet Potato Fries

Without further ado, I present to you: the second installment of the Fearless Cook vlog! Enjoy!

Steaks & Sweet Potato Fries from Ross Cauvel on Vimeo.

INGREDIENTS

2 thick ribeye steaks (mine were about 3/4 lb. each)
1 and 1/2 large sweet potatoes (or 2 small)
~6 cups neutral cooking oil, like canola
seas salt and black pepper
olive oil

For steak rub:
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. paprika
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp. store-bought steak rub

For compound butter:
6 T. room temperature butter
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh oregano
1 clove garlic, minced

For curry mayo:
2 big spoonfuls mayo
~1 T. honey
pinch of curry powder

For homemade croutons:
~1 cup cubed stale bread
~2 T. olive oil
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh oregano
sea salt and black pepper

For the rest of the salad:
Mixed baby greens
1 pear, thinly sliced
~2 ounces Gruyere cheese, in small cubes
walnut pieces (you can toast them if you want)

For the salad dressing:
juice of half a lemon
~1 tsp. mustard
~1 tsp. honey
~1/4 c. olive oil
salt and pepper

STEP 1:

Let steaks come to room temperature. Make the steak rub by mixing together all steak rub ingredients. Make the curry mayo by whisking together all ingredients; store in fridge till ready to serve. Make salad dressing by whisking together all ingredients; store in fridge till ready to serve.

STEP 2:

Preheat your frying oil for the potatoes. Turn a pot of oil to medium high heat and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Test the temperature of the oil by sticking the handle of a wooden spoon in - if little bubbles surround it, the oil is ready. Once you have a good base heat going, you can crank up the heat a little to make sure it stays hot throughout the cooking process.

STEP 3:

Add the fries, in batches the size of large handfuls, and cook until fries are tender. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from oil and place on some paper towels to drain. Once all batches have gone in the first time, bring the oil back up to temperature (just let it reheat for about 5 minutes), then fry the batches a second time, repeating the draining on paper towels process. Sprinkle the fries with sea salt while still warm.

STEP 4:

Preheat the oven to 450. Preheat a cast iron or fry pan (NOT non-stick) over high heat. Make sure it's REALLY hot. Put a little olive oil in the pan - it should start smoking a little. Immediately add the steaks and don't touch them for about 5 minutes. You want a good crusty sear. Flip them and cook on the other side. When both sides have browned, transfer the whole pan to the oven and cook until the steaks are to your doneness-liking. I think I cooked mine for about 5 minutes in the oven for a perfect medium to medium rare. You really just have to go by feel - when you give the steaks a little poke with tongs, if it's very very soft, it's still quite raw. If it's more firm, it's more done. Remember that when you take the steaks out and let them rest, they'll continue to cook, so err on the side of underdone - you can always put them back in the oven, but you can't fix an overcooked steak!

STEP 5:

Remove the steaks from the oven, set aside on a plate, cover with aluminum foil, and allow them to rest for at least 5 minutes, preferably 10. Scoop about a teaspoon of compound butter on top of each steak and let it melt. Serve with the fries, curry mayo, and salad. Enjoy! (How could you not?)