Which means it's not the day for fruit salad, croissant sandwiches, or delicate tarts.
Father's Day calls for something far simpler. And far meatier.
My dad could care less about the "cuteness" of a mini cupcake or the intricate basket weave of a flaky pie crust.
He does, however, care about steak. And if your dad is like my dad, this one will not disappoint.
The Mr. and I are slowly getting the hang of our charcoal grill, and lately we've been grilling up some mean steaks. And by "we've" I mean the Mr. has been grilling up some mean steaks while I stand around in a panic, driving him crazy by asking questions every five seconds. When did you put the steak on hun? Is it time to flip it yet? How many minutes has it been? Is it done? It smells done. Babe, I think it's done. Let's call it. No wait, I see blood! Let's leave it. Wait, what? You're taking it off the grill? Are you sure it's ready????
Yeah, the Mr. is a saint.
Anyway, the Ribeye itself is done up about as simply as it gets. I just rubbed it down real good with Montreal steak seasoning. You may call it cheating. I call it delicious.
I go into more detail about cooking the steak in the recipe section but here are some quick tips. Let the steak come to room temperature before grilling. Don't press it down with a spatula while it's on the grill. Only flip once. Give the steak a rest for about 10 minutes after it comes off the grill. The juices will reabsorb into the body of the steak as it rests, and you'll be left with a tender, flavorful, juicy cut of meat.
Now this steak could really stand on its own. Ribeye is a great cut of meat and would be a perfectly respectable main dish for any Father's Day meal.
But what really sets this over the top? The homemade french fried onions.
O.M.G.
This may be my favorite discovery of 2012. The Mr. adores the canned stuff, and I like them okay, but these are in a league of their own. Pure crispy fried goodness. I couldn't stop eating them as I was pulling them out of the fry oil. They were that good.
This was my first time deep frying anything and I was more than a little intimidated. But frying stuff it totally not scary! Okay, maybe it's a little scary when flaming droplets of oil come flying through the air towards your face, but I actually found the whole process really fun. To see a floury dough ball of onions transform into golden, crunchy strings of awesome got me totally excited.
Now combine the steak with the french fried onions and blue cheese and what do you get? A love letter to your mouth, that's what. And this is coming from a girl who used to be anti-steak. (Thank you, God, for helping me see the light!)
If you have leftovers (and that is a BIG if), this combo makes an absolutely killer steak salad. And the french fried onions make pretty much any meal better. I like to put them on Reuben sandwiches. I also like to put them directly in my mouth. By the handful.
But that's more than you really needed to know, isn't it?
In our family, I'm pretty sure steak is a love language. So for the dad who brushed my knotty curly hair before church every Sunday, rode rides with me at Disney, taught me how to drive, and showed me what unconditional love looks like, I plan to make steak. And lots of it.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads and to those who love them!
Grilled Ribeye with Blue Cheese and Homemade French Fried Onions
Steak serves 4 but you'll have tons of french fried onions, which is definitely not a bad thing
Recipe by bakeeatrepeat.blogspot.com
Onions from The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients:
2 ribeye steaks, about 1 1/2 in thick
Montreal steak seasoning
1/4 cup blue cheese
For the french fried onions:
1 large sweet onion
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (reduce to 1/4 if you can't take the heat!)
About 1 quart canola oil
Black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Slice the sweet onion into very very thin, almost translucent slices. Place them in a tupperware and cover with buttermilk. Let soak for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours.
2. Meanwhile, remove the ribeye from the fridge and rub all sides with a generous amount of montreal steak seasoning. Let the steak rest on the counter for about 20 minutes. Prepare the grill.
3. When ready to cook, place ribeye directly on the grill, lower lid, and cook for about 10 minutes. Flip, then cook for an additional 8-10 minutes depending on desired doneness. We like medium, and 8 minutes was about perfect for us.***Prepare yourself for totally unsolicited advice on steak grilling.
**We are not experts, but this is what we've learned from reading online and practicing more than a few times (and getting some very overdone steaks!) Resist the urge to cut into the steak to check for doneness. You'll lose the juice! Instead, play it on the safe side and take if off earlier than you think it needs to be taken off. Tent the steak with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. The steak will continue to cook once it comes off the grill, and the resting time allows the juices to reabsorb into the steak. After the steak has rested, check for doneness. If it's underdone, you can always throw it on the grill for another minute or two, but you can't ever make a steak less done.
3. While the steaks cook, prepare the french fried onions. In a deep pot, heat oil to 375 degrees. (Use a candy thermometer to keep track of the temperature of the oil.) Whisk together the flour, salt, cayenne pepper, and pepper in a large bowl.
5. Using a pair of heatproof tongs, grab a small bunch of onions, dip into flour mixture, tap off excess, then plunge into hot oil. Fry for several minutes or until golden brown and crispy, then remove and place them on paper towel covered plates.
6. To serve. Sprinkle hot steaks with blue cheese and a pile of french fried onions. Eat. Die a little bit because it tastes so. darn. good.
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