If your kids are anything like mine, eating at a restaurant is not the relaxing and exciting experience it once was. And let’s face it, if you have kids your disposable income isn’t the same as it once was either. So eating at home has become a big event in our house on the weekends. We love to put the kids to bed a little early and cook dinner a little late, just so we can enjoy catching up over a meal without hearing “Mom can I…” every two minutes. Eating in doesn’t have to be boring, and it definitely doesn’t have to blow your budget. I made this entire meal for two for around $12.00.
Each Monday I have a feature called Big Taste Small Budget, where I post recipes and ideas for making the kind of meals you would normally order from a restaurant without making a dent in your wallet at the grocery store. This recipe is a great one to start with. I promise it will be one of the most flavorful steaks you will ever have. And the great thing about the preparation is that it’s perfect for using less expensive cuts of meat. This time around I used the sirloin steaks that are on sale this week at Publix, and they were just right. Then I used the leftover olive oil from my sautéed garlic to make an amazing dressing that turned ordinary bagged salad into something special. It’s an easy, inexpensive meal that will impress you and your wallet.
Garlic Parmesan Crusted Steaks
1 tablespoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 thick cut steaks, any kind
salt and pepper
2 cups grated parmesan cheese (I used Sargento from the dairy aisle)
Heat the olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and cook until garlic is soft and you can easily pierce it with a fork (about 5 – 10 minutes depending on the size of your cloves.) Remove garlic from pan, set olive oil aside for later use. In a small bowl mash the garlic cloves along with the thyme. Mix in the mustard. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Season steaks with salt and pepper and lightly drizzle with olive oil on both sides. Place on hot grill for 4 -5 minutes on each side. You want these steaks to be just shy of your favorite degree of doneness because they are going into the oven to finish.
Remove steaks from grill and place on a baking sheet. Coat generously with the mustard garlic coating. Top with a generous mound of parmesan cheese. Bake 6 – 8 minutes, until cheese has melted and is just starting to brown.
Lemon Garlic Dressing
olive oil reserved from the sauteed garlic (above)
juice of one large lemon, plus 1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon rosemary (optional)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
In a medium size bowl mix together the lemon juice, mustard, herbs, and pepper. Slowly drizzle in olive oil a couple of tablespoons at a time, whisking well to incorporate after each addition. Serve immediately over mixed green salad.
*By the way, this recipe also goes absolutely perfectly with these mushrooms I posted about earlier!
adapted from Michael Chiarello
No related posts.
I read about your recipe on iheartpublix a few weeks ago and finally tried it tonight. It was wonderful! Thanks for sharing!