Steak with Wine Shallot Mushroom Cream Sauce & Mashed Potatoes

As a new Mom, I have a new found respect for what "Quick & Easy" really means.  For me not only does it need to be quick from refrigerator to dinner table, but it must be easy to clean up, too.  Oh, and it must be something for which I already have the ingredients at home.

Before Emma was born, I stocked the freezer and pantry with items I use on a regular basis so I would be able to make all of my favorites without leaving the house.  So, after a major Costco trip, our house is now fully stocked with the essentials (more about this later).  It has helped me to be able to continue to make dinner every night - and force a little creativity on my part, too.

This is a great example of what you can do with even a minimally stocked freezer and pantry.  It might not look like a dinner that you throw together on a Monday night, but it is... in about 20 minutes with 2 pans.  I said Monday night because we always have a leftover bottle of wine from the weekend so I try to use it up on Monday night, or I freeze it to use later (again, more on freezer tips later).

The trick to making this meal stretch is slicing the steak.  When you slice on strip steak it easily turns into enough for two - especially when served with a hearty mushroom sauce.  All I need to make sure I have for this dinner is one steak (to share between the two of us), mushrooms and some leftover wine.  Everything else are pantry items or from the refrigerator I always have around.  If you don't happen to have potatoes, use rice, egg noodles, bow tie pasta or risotto... or whatever else you can come up with.

Sliced Steak 
with Wine Shallot Mushroom Cream Sauce
serves 2

1 strip steak (8-12 ounces)
sea salt & cracked pepper
2 tablespoons of butter
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 shallot, sliced
1 1/2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup of wine
1/2 cup of beef broth
1/2 tablespoon of dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of sour cream

Coat steak in salt and pepper, generously.  Heat a skillet on high.  Put 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan, then top it with the steak immediately.  Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side (less if the steak is thinner than 1 inch and more if the steak is really thick).  Remove steak from the pan and set it aside.

Lower the heat.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, then add mushrooms and shallot.  Cook them for 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften.  Add garlic and cook for just 1 minute.  Pour in wine and broth.  Cook for 3-5 minutes on high until the liquid begins to reduce.  Remove from heat and stir in dijon and sour cream.

Slice the steak into 1/2 inch pieces, then serve with sauce poured over.