Cowboy Steaks with Shallot Butter Sauce

Today is our wedding anniversary. After I kissed my husband goodbye for the day, I spent a brief moment reflecting over my coffee this morning, the sound of our sweet children warring over who got to play with a certain Barbie in the background. 7 years ago at this time of day, I was off to the hairdresser with my bridesmaids, sipping mimosas, having my hair swept into the perfect coif, and preparing to walk down the aisle toward my beloved. It was a beautiful day, beautiful wedding, and beautiful reception. I was so happy, surrounded by our friends and family with my new husband by my side. Today I am thankful that I still feel the same happiness now. As I sipped my coffee, I marvelled at how that day could seem like "it was only yesterday" in the same moment that it seems like a lifetime ago. Things certainly are different now. We have moved 4 times. We have gone from just the 2 of us to a family of 4. I spent the first part of this day cleaning the garage (scrubbing garbage can stains off of the floor and moving around an endless supply of bikes, trikes, and other outdoor toys) while supervising the kiddos (trying to keep them out of the piles of dirt I was sweeping up) and then carrying boxes labelled for our garage sale up from the basement.(Boy, would have this messed up my bride's french manicure) I fully intended to have a beautiful table set for dinner tonight, complete with a decadent chocolate dessert when my husband arrived home, bearing a bottle of my favorite wine and a bouquet of roses. However, by the time that I carried up the last box from the basement, showered and scrubbed the garbage scent off of my hands, and slipped into a dress, it was already after 6 pm. I still needed to run to the store for a forgotten ingredient or two and (ooops!) a card for my husband. As I tried to find the perfect card to convey just how I feel about my sweetheart, the girls pulled out every musical card from the shelves, yelling, "Look at this one mommy! Daddy would love this one." I was getting pretty frustrated when my husband called to ask where we were and if he should start the grill. "YES!" I answered. "We're on our way!". My how life has changed...

Tonight, our daughters decorated the table as I rubbed the steaks and my husband tended to the coals. I have to say, despite the hurried preparation, this dinner was absolutely delicious! The rub was surprisingly subtle on the grilled steaks, but was perfectly complimented by the shallot butter sauce. This butter sauce was out of this world! We couldn't stop eating steak! Even my daughters loved it.



I got this rub recipe from the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I used chili powder, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, pepper, and sugar crystals. I didn't have any Sugar in the Raw as called for, so I improvised and used decorative crystal sugar.



I brushed 2 thick boneless ribeye steaks with a little oil and sprinkled them with kosher salt before applying 1/2 tablespoon of the rub to each side of the steak.



Pat it in with your fingertips. This is where I turned the steaks over to my husband for grilling and went about making the butter sauce.



The original recipe is called Cowboy Steak with Whiskey Butter Sauce. I didn't have 3of the ingredients (including whiskey) or 3 hours to make and chill a butter log. I decided to come up with my own sauce, loosely based on the ingredients suggested in the original recipe. Here's what I did: I melted a stick of butter in a saucepan, then tossed in a diced shallot. I sauteed the shallot until brown and a little crispy, then stirred in some Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and a little salt.



Once the steaks came off of the grill, I sliced them and topped with the shallot-butter sauce.



It was ridiculously good.



Cowboy Steaks adapted from Better Homes and Gardens magazine original recipe found HERE

Makes: 4 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Grill: 10 minutes
Stand: 25 minutes

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. New Mexican chile powder or chili powder
1 Tbsp. ancho chile powder
1/2 Tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. Sugar-in-the-Raw
2 1-inch-thick bone-in ribeye steaks, (about 1 lb. each)
Olive oil
Kosher salt

Directions
1. For rub, in bowl combine chile powders, paprika, peppers, and sugar.

2. Prepare grill for direct cooking over low heat (about 300 degrees F). Meanwhile, let meat come to room temperature about 20 minutes before grilling. Pat meat with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Just before grilling, brush steaks with oil. Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp. of rub and a little salt on each steak; pat in with fingers.

3. Place steaks directly over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Turn and grill 5 more minutes for medium-rare doneness. Remove from grill. Let rest at least 5 minutes.

4. Top hot steaks with Shallot Butter Sauce. To serve, slice steaks. Makes 4 servings.

Shallot Butter Sauce by me

1/2 cup butter
1 shallot, diced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste

Heat butter in a saucepan. Add the shallot and saute until golden brown and slightly crispy. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and salt until combined.


My parents arrive tomorrow, so my husband and I are going out for a belated anniversary dinner without the kiddos. : )