Skirt Steak
This is my favorite steak. I like the chewiness of the cut and the faint marbling of fat, just enough to keep it well lubricated. And I find it a good size for the single cook. A skirt steak of approximately 14 ounces gives me three fine meals. First I have a piece of rare steak quickly sautéed and garnished with a little pan sauce of wine and shallots; then I have a few slices of it cold for lunch with a piquant sauce; and finally, later in the week, I’ll use what remains in a delicious baked dish with mushrooms and breadcrumbs, an inspiration of the late Mireille Johnston, whose books taught us so much of what regional French home cooking is all about—thriftiness, inventiveness, and good taste.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Chop the garlic fine, then sprinkle on about 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and with the flat of your knife, mash the two together until you have a paste. Mix the ginger into the paste, if you’re using it—it isn’t French, but it adds a je ne sais quoi that’s delicious. Sprinkle on several generous grindings of pepper, rub this paste onto both sides of the steak, and cut it in thirds or in half, so that it will fit into your skillet. Smear just a little oil on the bottom of a heavy 8-inch skillet, and heat until almost smoking, then lay in the steak and sear over high heat for 1 minute on each side. Now put the pan in a preheated 350° oven for about 4 minutes (or more if you don’t want it rare). Remove the steak to a warm plate while you quickly make the sauce. Swirl the butter in the hot skillet, and sauté the shallot for a minute. Splash in the wine, and reduce by half. Pour the sauce over the portion of the steak you are going to eat immediately. Top with some chopped parsley.
Second Round: Beef with Sauce Gribiche
Step 2
Even better than a steak sandwich is a plate of thinly sliced rare beef with Sauce Gribiche spooned over and a garnish of cucumbers and small tomatoes. I first experienced this sauce at a little brasserie on the rue de Seine in Paris and immediately went home to work out the ingredients and create my own version. There are many variations (mine is on page 160), and it’s a sauce to treasure, because it enhances so many cold meats, especially the organ meats I relish, as well as fish.
