Try this pan-roasted steak with mushroom pesto sauce for a Valentine's Day meal at home next week or for any time. It won't break your calorie bank. Thick-sliced portobello mushrooms make the base for this sauce. Pesto sauce made with fresh basil, parsley, olive oil and Parmesan cheese originated in Genoa, Italy. Adding mushrooms to a prepared pesto sauce gives it an earthy flavor.
The Hot Pepper Potatoes are microwaved and then browned in the same skillet used to cook the steak. Microwaving the potatoes saves time and there's no pot to wash. If you do not have a microwave oven, I've also given a stove top method for boiling the potatoes.
Open a bag of washed, ready-to-eat lettuce to complete this meal.
Fred Tasker's wine suggestion: The earthy mushrooms call for an earthy red wine, maybe a French Cotes du Rhone red.
Helpful Hints:
_ Use the same skillet to cook the mushrooms, then the steak, and to finish the potatoes.
_ Any type of quick-cooking steak can be substituted for tenderloin: flank, skirt, or strip.
Countdown:
_ Microwave potatoes.
_ Saute mushrooms.
_ Make mushroom pesto sauce.
_ Cook the steak.
_ Finish the potatoes.
Shopping List:
Here are the ingredients you'll need for tonight's Dinner in Minutes.
To buy: } pound grass-fed beef tenderloin steak, 1 small container reduced-fat pesto sauce,\ pound sliced baby bello mushrooms, 1 small bunch watercress (optional) and 1 pound red potatoes.
Staples: olive oil spray, olive oil, hot pepper sauce, salt and black peppercorns.
