Chew on This | Steak with Creamy Goat Cheese Sauce and Hasselback Potatoes

There's not much time left.  Do you have your holiday dinner figured out yet?  Any surprise guests stopping in - right around supper time?  I've got the easiest, make-a-great-impression, dinner for you!  Seriously!

Steak.  You choose.  Filet, strip, skirt, flank, Porterhouse....you know what you love.

Potatoes.  Hasselback style (also called Accordion Potatoes).  Add one extra step to making a baked potato and you've got Hasselback potatoes tackled.

Creamy Goat Cheese Sauce.  So good!  Scrumptious flavor.  You'll lick the spoon, twice.

Add a salad and dinner is served.  Easy, right?

Here, let me show you!

Start with your potatoes.  Scrub them well.

Make thin slices, not all the way through, down the length of the potato.  Notice - I did accidentally slice through one of the larger potatoes.  Ahhh...these make perfect portions for the kids!  See, even mistakes are not really mistakes with this dinner.  Yipee!

I put these babies into the microwave for 10 minutes on high to soften and speed up the cooking process!

Once out of the microwave, slather with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Into a 450℉ oven until crispy on the outside - about 15 minutes.

While the potatoes are baking, take out your steak and let it get the chill off from the refrigerator.  

And, since you're a multi-tasker and people will be at your door soon wanting dinner, you can start to prepare your creamy goat cheese sauce!  Oh lordy, it's good!

One pint of heavy cream and two tablespoons of butter into a sauce pan on medium low.

Dump in one tablespoon of Herbs de Provence.  Let simmer for about 4-5 minutes so the herb flavor will steep into the cream mixture.

Stir in your goat cheese, salt and pepper.  Mix until smooth.  Then add your Dijon mustard.  Take off burner and carefully pour sauce into a food processor and blend until smooth.  You could also blend the sauce with an immersion stick blender or in the blender.  Set aside until steak is prepared.

Lastly.  The steak!  Use your favorite cut.  And prepare with fire, baby!  Or, however you deem fit.  I used a nice thick strip steak.  I rubbed with salt, pepper and garlic salt.  And because it's 14℉ outside, I decided to not use the grill.  Instead, I seared in a super hot skillet with butter and oil.  Then I put the pan into the oven at 450℉ to finish cooking through.  YUM!

And there you have it!  A worthy effort, indeed.  Quick and easy.  Your guests will be smitten and satisfied!  

And You?  You'll be the heroine (or hero) of the day.  Way to go You!

Cares

Here are the recipes:

Hasselback Potatoes

4 baking potatoes, scrubbed clean, thinly sliced down the length of the potato (to look like an accordion)

olive oil

salt 

pepper

garlic powder

fresh thyme leaves 

Preheat oven to 450℉.

Clean and slice your potatoes.  Place onto a microwave safe plate and cook in the microwave, on high, for 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Once out of the microwave, place potatoes onto a prepared foil lined baking sheet.  Slather the potatoes with olive oil (coating them well), salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Place into the oven for 15 minutes or until potatoes are crispy on the outside.  Plate and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.

Creamy Goat Cheese Sauce

1 pint heavy cream

2 T butter

1 T Herbs de Provence

4-6 ounces goat cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 T Dijon mustard

In a small sauce pan, bring cream and butter to almost a simmer.  Add Herbs de Provence and allow the herbs  to steep their flavor into the cream mixture - about 4-5 minutes.  Next add the goat cheese, salt and pepper, stirring until smooth.  Finally, add your Dijon mustard.  Stir to combine.  Take pan off the heat and pour into a food processor and mix until sauce is perfectly smooth (you could also use a blender or use an immersion blender right in the sauce pan).  Spoon sauce onto prepared steak and devour!  Yum!

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