If I were a steak, I'd probably be this steak
If I were a steak, I'd probably be this steak
anchovies, capers, parsley: it's me
Hello and welcome to Home Movies Tuesday! If you’ve found your way over by some miracle but are not yet subscribed, here, let me help you with that:
It’s….Steak (like) Tartare! There isn’t raw meat, but there is steak (seared to medium-rare), served with a “dressing,” for lack of a better word, made from a veritable all-star cast of pantry items: anchovies, Worcestershire sauce, shallot, vinegar and capers. There are herbs as well, but not quite enough to qualify as a true salsa verde- more there to give a suggestion of freshness, lend some body and detract from the undeniable BROWN of the “dressing” (usually eclipsed by the pink of the raw red meat in a tartare).
This is the type of steak preparation that’s good with carbs, good over salad. Serve it over a tangle of parsley or a pile of arugula. Over crispy potatoes or truly any number of potato preparations (salad, crispy, boiled, smashed, etc. - find them all here!), or even if you want to open a bag of potato chips or get french fries from your local french fry providing establishment.
While I’m usually a bone-in rib eye gal for special occasions, there’s something casual about this specific application that makes me drawn to a more quick cooking cut like hanger steak.
Typically well-marbled with no discernible fat cap, hanger has incredible flavor and is generally reasonably priced (especially when compared to something like a strip steak or rib eye). The only downside is that like many other thinner cuts, (skirt, flank), it IS quick-cooking (so stay vigilant), and has the potential to read a little chewy if not sliced “against the grain,” (see video for deeper visual dive there). That said, any cut you’re feeling will work here, as long as it has the ability to fulfill its destiny to be “seared well and sliced rare.”
Pretend you’re traveling the world with me on book tour and make steak (like) tartare tonight! And, as always for the summer of Home Movies: Thank you to Maker’s Mark for sponsoring this week’s episode!
Steak Like Tartare
serves 4
Not far from my usual way to eat steak in the summer (seared, served rare, covered in some sort of herby sauce with anchovies on the side), but doctored to really evoke “you’re eating steak tartare” (except the steak is, um, cooked). The ingredients stay classic– shallot, caper, chive, Worcestershire, and yes, anchovies. As for seasoning, you should adjust as you see fit– add hot sauce or horseradish if you want, more or less vinegar, you get the picture.
Whatever steak you choose is sort of secondary here— you can go with whatever cut you usually like— but I do recommend something “beefy,” in flavor, like a boneless short rib (which tends to require a finish in a low oven since it’s so thick) or quick-cooking, affordable but harder to find hanger steak. If you don’t do beef, I would confidently say this sauce would still be great with pork, lamb or chicken. If you don’t do meat, eat it with crisped, roasted mushrooms.
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ –2 pounds hanger steak (you can use any steak of your choosing, boneless or bone-in, such as ribeye, boneless short rib, sirloin, etc).
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola
1 medium or ½ large shallot, finely chopped
4 anchovies, finely chopped, plus more for serving if you’ve got them
2 tablespoons capers, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar, plus more
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, plus more
½ cup finely chopped chives (scallion works in a pinch)
¼ cup parsley leaves, tender leaves and stems
3⁄4 cup olive oil, plus more
Some sort of bread (baguette, sliced country loaf, ciabatta), halved lengthwise or sliced
1. Season steak with salt and pepper (do this ahead if you can, even if by 10-15 minutes or so).
2. Heat oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat, swirling to coat the surface. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add steak (if using hanger steak, flat-side down; work if batches if needed to avoid crowding the pan), pressing it a bit with tongs to ensure good contact with the skillet (this is how you get even browning). For hanger steak, cook 4-5 minutes until deeply browned (thicker pieces of meat will take closer to 5–6). Using tongs, flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until browned on that side as well.
3. Transfer steak to a plate to rest (a plate will catch their juices vs. a cutting board from which they’ll escape), leaving any meaty bits or rendered fat behind in the skillet.
4. While the steak rests, make the sauce(!). In a medium bowl, combine shallot, capers, anchovies, 2 tablespoons vinegar, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire, chives, and parsley. Stir in olive oil along with any meat juices from the plate the steak is resting on. Taste the sauce and season with more vinegar, Worcestershire, salt and pepper as needed. Steak Like Tartare seasoning (like tartare) is deeply personal and should be adjusted to suit you and your loved ones.
5. If you like, use the skillet with all the meaty bits to toast your bread for 2–4 minutes over medium heat until golden brown and crisp (add a little olive oil to the skillet if it needs it).
6. To serve, slice steak against the grain to create a more tender slice. Arrange steak on a large serving plate, spooning sauce over the steak. Scatter with more parsley if you’ve got it, serving with toast and more anchovies alongside.
DO AHEAD: You can season your steak a day ahead if you like– otherwise, this sauce is really best made when you’re planning on eating it. That said, it DOES make good leftovers, even as a quick dressing, spooned over lettuce the next day.
If I’m cooking steak at home, it’s always going to be in a cast iron skillet. Sure, there are fancy ones, but all you really need is the $20 Lodge one I’m using here. You’ll use it often, and you’ll have it forever.
As far as cooking olive oils go, this tin of Zoe is always in my kitchen. It’s high quality, but affordable enough that you don’t have to be too precious with it (I also love California Olive Ranch).
The pants I’m wearing are Jesse Kamm sailor pants, the most flattering pants that ever were. I adore them, I wear them all the time, and you can often find good deals on them on Poshmark and the Real Real.
If I were a steak, I'd probably be this steak
Look, I just subscribed to tell you this, and I'm sorry it's off-topic, but: Vinegar Chicken and Salty Lemon Shortbread are two of my favorite things ever, and I just made them both for the same meal. Easy, affordable, spectacular. I'm putting up a household shrine to you. I will now make the steaky thing. Oh, and YES on the caper jars (which are bizarre)
YES to the caper jar pain! Why so skinny? Why so inconvenient?