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Skillet Steaks with Chive Butter

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Fried" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"Here garlic is used only to flavor the cooking fat and impart its essence into the meat, and the steaks are served with just enough compound chive butter to give them additional savor and juiciness. Another possibility is to discard the garlic cloves and all but a couple of tablespoons of cooking fat, deglaze the skillet with ½ cup of red wine till slightly reduced, and spoon the sauce over the steaks. These sumptuous steaks really should never be cooked more than medium-rare."

List of Ingredients

The Chive Butter:
â—¦ 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

The Steaks:
â—¦ Four 6-ounce beef tenderloin steaks, about 2 inches thick
â—¦ Salt and crushed black pepper to taste
â—¦ 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
â—¦ 6 cloves garlic, peeled


Recipe

To make the chive butter, place the butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer till creamy. Add the chives and parsley, stir till well blended, and chill for 15 minutes. Scrape the butter onto a large piece of plastic wrap, roll into an 8 x 2-inch log, and twist the wrap at the ends. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.

To fry the steaks, season each steak on both sides with salt and pepper, pressing the pepper into the meat. In a large cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat, add the garlic cloves, and stir till softened and golden, about 10 minutes. Arrange the steaks between the garlic cloves and fry till nicely browned, about 15 minutes. Turn the steaks, fry on the other side till cooked medium-rare, 10 to 15 minutes, and transfer to warmed serving plates. Discard the garlic.

To serve, cut the chive butter into ¼-inch-thick slices, place a slice on top of each steak, and serve immediately.


Makes 4 servings