Dinner for two - part 2.

   After the delicious appetizer (which we snacked on while cooking the rest of our dinner), it's time for the main course! After my clue, I'm sure it's no surprise that we had a piece of rich and tender rib eye steak paired with a baked potato (fully loaded!) and an arugula and pear salad. There are a few reasons why we chose this dish as our date-night dinner. First, it's probably one of the most ordered dishes from a restaurant's menu, second Justin really wanted a "piece of meat", as he called it, and third, I got a brand new cast iron skillet for Xmas and I needed to try it out! So without further ado here are the recipes:

Baked potato:

*  2 large baking potatoes
*  1 tsp olive oil
*  2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
*  2 scallions, chopped
*  2 slices turkey bacon, diced and crisped
*  salt

Steak:

*  2 large rib eye steaks, about 1 inch thick
*  steak seasoning (or just salt and pepper)

Salad:

*  3 cups baby arugula
*  1 pear, thinly sliced
*  1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
*  1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
*  light raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

Baked potatoes:
1. Wash and scrub potatoes under cold water. Pat dry with paper towel.
2. Pierce each potato with a fork all around in 1-inch intervals. Coat with olive oil, arrange on a baking rack and bake at 360F for 90 minutes.
3. Slip potatoes across with a knife, gently open up, sprinkle with salt and top with a spoon of a Greek yogurt, crisped bacon and scallions.

Steak (medium):
1. Take steaks out of the fridge and let them sit in room temperature for about 2 hours.
2. Pat dry, brush with a little bit of vegetable oil and season with a steak seasoning on both sides.
3. Preheat the oven to 500F and place the empty cast iron skillet inside to heat it up (for about 10 minutes). Transfer the skillet onto a hot stove, put steaks in it and cook for 2 minutes on each side (it will smoke like crazy, but it's all good!).
4. Transfer the skillet together with steaks back into a 500F oven and bake for 3 minutes. It's very important to stick to the exact times (if you want the steak to be medium), so that the steak is not overcooked
5. Transfer cooked steaks onto a plate, cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 8-10 minutes before serving.

Salad:
1. Combine arugula with sliced pear and chopped pepper. Drizzle with the raspberry vinaigrette dressing (or any you like) and top with toasted pumpkin seeds.

   Do you see the size of this steak? Thank God we ate it at home, because we had to unbutton our pants not even half way through it!  It's a very simple and rustic meal... and so American too! Wait until you see the dessert...

See you in a few days,
Magda.