Did you know Steak Diane is an old-skool way of cooking a steak?
And that it was popularized in Supper Clubs; whose heyday were the 1950's-60's?

Let me just say for the record,
if I had unlimited funds and could start up any business I ever wanted,
it would so be a Supper Club!!!!!
I love supper clubs, love them!!! They're so old-skool and vintagey, you know?!?!

And
Steak Diane was a mainstay on every
Supper Club menu back in the day.
Q: What is Steak Diane?
A. Standard answer is "A dish consisting of a pan fried filet mignon with a sauce made from seasonal pan juices." According to Emeril Lagasse.
Q: Why is Steak Diane called "Steak Diane?"
A: Supposedly named for the Roman goddess of the hunt, Diana (or Diane) style was originally a way of serving venison. Through the years, though, the preparation has come to mean sauteing thinly sliced or pounded filet mignon in butter and then flambeing and basting it in a rich Cognac sauce. Uh, according to Wikipedia.

A: I have no idea other than I LOVE old skool Supper Clubs...you know what I'm talking about....the places where relish trays were brought out to the table with crinkle cut carrots, radish roses, crackers, crunchy bread sticks and that soft cheese spread, oh my!

A: Yes!
And they were usually dark with mood lighting and did you know the majority of Supper Clubs were located in the Midwest in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan? Even though the absolute first Supper Club started in California, it was started by a Milwaukee native. And the reason Supper Clubs grew so much in the 40's, 50's, and 60's and stayed strong until the 70's was the development of federal and state highway systems and the rise of recreational auto travel. Yup, 'tis true according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Huge steaks and seafood and onion rings.
All brought by a friendly wait staff dressed in black and white and scurrying on garnet colored shag carpet? And sometimes the carpet climbed the walls? Remember?

Prairie du Chien, WI
several times and we love it.
They specialize in steaks and seafood and they have a real Supper Club "feel" including a relish and cracker tray brought immediately out to your table!!!

But I digress.
Let's talk about the old skool
Steak
Diane
that I made from Guy Fieri's recipe.
These are the fixins.
Mmmmmm is all I can say with that filet, buttah, mushrooms and olive oil.

Mmmmm again!
Wanna touch it, don't ya?
Well, don't! Unless you wash your hands first.
By the way, filet is expensive. Ouch! But worth it! I had the meat dude cut me fresh pieces.
Tim sates,"It was like a slice of Heaven."

It takes a bit of time over medium high high heat.
Be patient, it will reduce.
In a large skillet or cast iron pan, heat 2 tbsp. of butter and the olive oil.
When the butter has melted, add the steaks.
Brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate.
Add the garlic, wine, brandy (be CAREFUL, this can ignite if you get it too close to the flame!), mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and the reduced beef stock.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes,
return steaks to the pan and finish cooking to desired temperature,
2 to 4 minutes.

Tim does NOT like mushrooms,
so his two steaks were sauteed separately.
Although he was more than happy to finish off my second steak that was sauteed in the mushroom sauce, oddly enough!

Add the remaining
2 Tbsp. butter to the sauce to melt.
Uh, delicioso!!!!
Oh my goodness,
don't even get me started what kind of flavor that last shot of butter brought.
Now let's start on the Kale with Roasted Beets and Bacon and the Creamy Mashed Root Vegetables.

Here's the lineup for the
Kale with Roasted Beets and Bacon.

Wash and trim the beets, removing both ends.
Place them on aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Seal and roast until fork tender about an hour.
Tansfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
Cover and cook for a few minutes, then add the chicken stock and 2 Tbsp of the vinegar. Stir to combine , cover and allow to wilt for 6-8 minutes.
Stir in the remaining 2 tbsp. vinegar. Add the bacon, stir to combine.
Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

now onto the Creamy Mashed Root Vegetables.
Here's the fixins!
Not many ingredients and I LOVE the tanginess of the turnips in these potatoes.
These are definitley not fat free potatoes, let me tell ya!
Peel and cut the turnips into 1-inch chunks. Add those to the pot and cover partially with a lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the cooking liquid and butter and season with salt and pepper.

Starch
addiction
anyone?
Yup, Angie is raising her hand wildly!!!
By the way, the beets with the kale and bacon; fabulous!
If someone in the family doesn't care for beets, leave them out, that's fine too. But I will say the beets provided a nice complement to the big flavor of the Steak Diane, which was amazing too!

Try out this old-skool Steak Diane recipe sometime.
If you like beets, make certain to print out a copy of the kale recipe too.
And the potatoes are lip-lickin' good!
Guy Fieri, Food Network, Backyard Bites: Steak Diane episode
Courtesy of turnkeyqualitycars.com
Ingredients
1 quart low-sodium beef stock
Four 6 to 8-ounce filet mignons
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
2 shallots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Directions
Pairs well with: cabernet.
Add the beef stock to a saucepan and reduce over medium-high heat to 1/2 cup, about 1 hour.
Sprinkle the steaks on both sides with the salt and pepper. In a large skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil. When the butter has melted and the oil shimmers, add the steaks. Brown the steaks on both sides, 3 minutes per side. Transfer the steaks to a plate and set aside, lightly covered with foil.
Add the mushrooms and shallots to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, adding oil if needed. Add the garlic. When the garlic is lightly colored, add the brandy (be careful, it can ignite). Add the wine, mustard, Worcestershire and the reduced beef stock. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes more. Return the steaks to the pan and finish cooking them to the desired temperature, 2 to 4 minutes, depending upon the size of the filets and desired temperature/doneness. For medium-rare, cook to 135 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the sauce to melt.
To serve, place a steak on each plate and pour the sauce over the steak.
Kale With Roasted Beets and Bacon
Ingredients
2 beets (about 14 ounces)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
6 thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon slices (8 ounces), diced
1 large bunch kale (about 1 1/2 pounds), washed, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken stock
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Wash and trim the beets, removing both ends. Place them on a 12-inch square sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Drizzle with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Seal up the foil packet and roast until the beets are fork-tender, about 1 hour.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until medium-crisp (or however you prefer your bacon). Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Increase the heat to high and add the kale, stirring to coat in the rendered bacon grease. Cover and cook for a few minutes, and then add the chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar. Stir to combine, cover and allow to wilt for 6 to 8 minutes.
Peel and cut the beets into chunks and add them to the kale. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar. Add the bacon, stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Creamy Mashed Root Vegetables
Ingredients
5 cups whole milk
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 fresh bay leaves
2 pounds turnips
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Freshly cracked black pepper
Directions
Set a large pot over high heat and add the milk, cream, salt, thyme and bay leaves. Peel and cut the turnips into 1-inch chunks. Add to the pot and cover partially with a lid. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the turnips for 30 minutes.
Cut the potatoes into 1-inch chunks. After the turnips have cooked for 30 minutes (it takes longer than the potatoes to cook), add the potatoes and continue to simmer until all the vegetables are very tender, about 20 more minutes (the tip of a paring knife should go through with little resistance). Discard the bay leaves and thyme. Drain the turnips and potatoes, reserving 2 cups of cooking liquid, and then mash. Add the cooking liquid and butter. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Have a great rest of the
weekend!
I love weekends!!!
See ya soon!