Red meat, PLEASE!!

I have been craving red meat these last few weeks, and not just a burger. STEAK. Just steak. Steak with just a bit of salt and pepper. Nothing too complicated. But I don't want to go out and pay for one at a fancy restaurant and yet I'm not good at cooking them either. What to do?

Enter Real Simple and their fabulously easy dishes.

I subscribe to the above magazine, mostly for theri AHA! articles and easy recipes. One recipe that I set aside was the one I'm listing now -- Seared Skirt Steak with Mushroom Salad. I was a bit nervous about preparing this dish as 1) Hubby doesn't like raw mushrooms and 2) Again, I'm not very good at cooking steak. However, this dish seemed easy enough and with the addition of Betty Crocker's scallped potatoes, this meal was a HIT. Huge HIT. Hubby's favorite part was the salad, oddly enough! I loved the simplicity of the steak, and the dressing on the salad was so flavorful. I felt really good about preparing a cost-efffective and delicious meal for the two of us. Too bad there weren't any leftovers.

CKS note: Trader Joe's didn't carry skirt steak so I used tri-tip instead and broiled it for about 9 minutes on each side. Just as delicious and at a cheaper cost!

Seared Skirt Steak with Mushroom Salad

from Real Simple

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
2 8-ounce packages sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup shredded Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 1/4 pounds skirt steak

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the mushrooms, cheese, and parsley and toss to combine.

Cut the steak into pieces as necessary to fit in a large skillet. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the steak to the desired doneness, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Slice the steak and serve with the mushroom salad.