Thinking back I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I have ordered steak at a restaurant. Growing up my dad made the best steaks and nothing ever really compared to them. Most of our family steaks came from a meat market- and a deer that we had hunted; or my mom had scouted great quality steaks at a local store. Even now when I go home I love sitting down with my family and having a filet, it’s always such a treat. Now sticking with the a home steak making I took to my kitchen to create a beautiful cast iron seared filet topped with a decadent mushroom marsala sauce and some mashed cauliflower. Make this tonight for dinner and you’ll end your week on a perfect note!

What you’ll need:

Steak and wine sauce: Filet steak, 1 1/2 oz dried oyster mushrooms (you can also get dried porcini,) 1 1/2 cup chicken stock, canola oil, 1 clove of garlic minced, 1 small shallot minced, 1 cup marsala wine, 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, 1 Tsp fresh thyme minced,

Mashed Cauliflower: 1 Tbsp chopped chives, 1 head of cauliflower, 3 Tbsp milk, 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, 2 Tbsp light sour cream, 1/4 Tsp garlic salt, S&P

Let’s get started: Combine the dried mushrooms and chicken stock in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and then cut off the heat and let them sit for about 10-15 minutes. Then pull the mushrooms out of the liquid, reserving the stock and slice the mushrooms.

Mmm the smell of these are so pungent and rich. Getting the dried mushrooms and rehydrating them this way brings out such a bold flavor that you just can’t get from fresh.

At the same time we can get the mashed cauliflower going. Separate the cauliflower into florets and chop the core finely. Bring about 2 cups of water to a simmer in a pot, then add the cauliflower. Cover and turn the heat to medium and cook for about 12-15 minutes or until tender.

Now if you are a meat and potatoes fan you can definitely use some yukon gold potatoes and make those with this same recipe, but with the rich flavor of the mushroom sauce I promise you won’t miss them.

Onto the steak: heat your cast iron skillet over high heat, drizzle in a light coating of oil, this helps create a great crust on the steak. Lightly coat each side of your steak with a touch of oil and S&P. Place the steak into the pan and cook without moving for about 3 minutes. Using tongs flip the steaks and continue cooking; about another 4 minutes for rare, 5 minutes for med-rare, 6 minutes for medium. You can also use a meat thermometer and pull them off at about 100 degrees. Remove the steak and let it rest wrapped in foil for about 5 minutes while we make the sauce. If your filet happens to be bacon wrapped like mine, just remove it before serving.

Before you start on the sauce drain the cauliflower and let it sit to dry. The drier the cauliflower is the better.

For the sauce: In my opinion this is the star of the show! You won’t find any A1 around here. Once you remove the steak from the skillet, add the sliced mushrooms, garlic and shallot. Cook about 3-5 minutes.

Tip: If you are cooking in a small kitchen like me, turn on your vent fan. Otherwise your smoke alarm may go off and that mess is LOUD! Anyways…

Add the marsala wine and the reserved mushroom liquid to the pan, be careful not to let any grit stay in the bottom of the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce down by half.

Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter until melted and the sauce has thickened, the butter adds such a great creamy element to the sauce that is just mmmmm good! Add thyme and season with S&P.

Finish off your cauliflower by adding the milk, butter, sour cream, S&P and mash wit a potato masher. Top with the chives and we are ready to plate up.

Oh so yummy! The rich flavors from the marsala sauce and the hearty beef flavor marry so well together, this was definitely a great treat. Do yourself a favor and make this tonight, you can thank me later.

Happy eating!