Nothing says Happy Valentines Day like a delicious, thoughtful, and lovely homemade dinner for two. And nothing says I love you like a stellar cast iron steak basted with garlic butter. Oh and don’t forget a colorful and seasonal salad tossed in a simple homemade vinaigrette. Just consider your plans for Valentines made.
This salad is packed with bright and flavorful winter fruits. Just look at those blood oranges and pomegranate arils.
Trevor and I made this meal together which was even more fun than eating it. We love getting chances to cook dinner together, and these recipes are perfect for a date night in the kitchen. By the time I had the salad put together, Trevor had just finished the New York strip, and dinner was ready!
This steak recipe is so so so delicious, but also incredibly easy. Making steak at home can be intimidating, but this recipe has yet to fail us. You just can’t go wrong with cast iron and butter.
- STEAK:
- 2 8 oz New York strip steak
- 1 TB olive oil
- 2 TB butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- Kosher salt + black pepper
- WINTER CHOPPED SALAD:
- 3 cups arugula / chopped
- 1 blood orange / peeled and sliced
- ½ avocado / peeled and sliced
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
- 1 oz goat cheese / crumbled
- HONEY BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 TB balsamic vinegar
- 1 TB honey
- Kosher salt + pepper
- For the steak, heat olive oil in a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Season steaks generously with salt and pepper. Once the pan is hot, drop in the steaks. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Once each side is seared, add butter, garlic, and thyme to the pan turn the temperature down to medium heat. Using a large spoon, baste the steaks by tipping the pan and spooning the butter over top of the steaks. Continue doing this for 2 minutes. When the steaks have reached your desired doneness, remove the steaks from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes.
- For the salad, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
- For the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake well.
You had me at “steak”. This looks SO yummy. My mouth is watering just looking at your photos!
We couldn’t agree more. Thanks, Elizabeth!
YUM! This looks fantastic. I love having a colorful plate!
Thanks! We love how colorful this salad is!