ny strip + garlic scape and dill compound butter

Joe and I went to our favorite nearby liquor store to pick up something for the July 4th weekend and came back with a super bonus. The owner shoved some vegetables from Grant Family Farms CSA in our hands as we were leaving because he'd gotten a bunch of extra boxes dropped off and couldn't possibly use all of the veggies. How cool is that? Get some beer, get some local vegetables. In the box were kale, mesclun greens, spinach, eggs (YESSS), scallions, dill, and garlic scapes. I'd never seen garlic scapes at my grocery store (it's not the most produce-diverse grocery store, though it is very cheap so god bless it for that) and I was super excited to try them out. Since we had already been set on cooking these NY strip steaks, I thought it'd be fun to make an herb-y butter. Butter on steak is just about the best thing there is, and herbed butter is even better.

We made this dinner the night before hiking Mount Bierstadt. Gotta fuel up pre-hike! I also ate some leftovers the morning of, too... It was a lovely hike, despite our late start. When hiking up high in the mountains you have to make sure that you start super early, otherwise you run into weather problems. Thunderstorms happen like clockwork around late morning/early afternoon and the last thing you want is to get caught in a nasty storm so high up and exposed. But despite knowing all of this, we still decided to sleep in a little bit - it was luxurious. I had originally thought to try and hike over to Sawtooth and then back down to the trailhead a different way, but we decided against it both because of weather concerns and because my stinkin' legs were so tired from my workout the day before. D'oh. But boy was it wonderful to be up in the mountains. I might love the smells the most. And the wildflowers. And the views. And the pikas. And eating trail food. EVERYTHING. And running down the mountain. And not being able to move the next day because running down several thousand feet is hard.

If it's not too hot out, you have to make sure to splurge on a nice NY strip to grill. I have a wonderful too-hot weather recipe coming up next, but it's essential to do the fancy steak at some point. I got mine on super sale for like $8/lb. off. There are lots in my freezer. A steak like this doesn't even need butter; salt and pepper are perfect. But if you've got garlic scapes and dill just given to you, well then you're basically given no choice but to mix them into some softened, salted, pastured butter. Drool.

For the butter, you're welcome to change it up however you want using whatever fresh herbs you might have around. Basil would be divine, rosemary, oregano... You could roast some garlic (but do you really want to use your oven for that long and heat up your kitchen?) or go ballsy and use a small clove of smashed raw garlic. I served this steak with a nice salad with a simple oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic dressing. It's nice to have a little crisp, cool counterpoint to the rich, warm steak. You could do a chopped cucumber salad with red onions and a yogurt dressing.

garlic scape and dill compound butter

2 garlic scapes, minced
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
1/3 cup salted butter, softened

In a small bowl, mix herbs into butter. Adjust the herb to butter ratio as you see fit. With any extra butter, you can place it in some parchment paper and form it into a usable, sliceable/spreadable shape. Refrigerate it for another use.

ny strip steak

2 1 1/2" NY strip steaks
coarse sea salt
freshly ground pepper

1. Pat steaks dry with a paper towel and sprinkle a little salt on both sides. Put back in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours.

2. Remove about an hour before you're ready to eat and let the steaks come to room temperature. Pat them dry again with a paper towel. Sprinkle a little more sea salt on, as well as a generous amount of pepper - press the steak to make sure both adhere.

3. Preheat your grill to high. Sear the steaks for about 3-4 minutes per side.

4. Lower heat to low and continue to cook steaks for about 3-4 minutes per side. This will be about a medium-rare steak.

5. Place steaks on a cutting board and DON'T TOUCH THEM for 10 minutes. It sucks, but do it. Have some beer. After the steaks have rested, you can slice into them, against the grain. Season with additional sea salt and pepper if desired.

Serve this steak with a big dollop of butter and a nice, crisp salad on the side. Perfect!

This was originally posted at my blog, the crankin' kitchen!