Steak with Mushroom-Red Wine Sauce

In order to make my life easier, I usually plan our whole week of meals on Sunday and do almost all my grocery shopping on Monday so that I can relax during the rest of the work week. It's a great strategy for organizing my time and budget, but it can leave little room for flexibility. My boyfriend is much more spontaneous than me, so I try to acquiesce to his sudden food cravings once and awhile. He'd been asking to grill steaks (his most common craving), so we collaborated on this delicious recipe where he grilled the meat and I added some flair with the mushrooms and red wine sauce. It was a tasty reminder about the benefits of a balanced relationship.

Steak with Mushroom-Red Wine Sauce:
For Steak

• Thirty minutes before grilling, remove a 1 lb. steak* from the fridge, rub with olive oil, and season generously with salt, pepper, and garlic.
• Place the steak over a hot grill and cook for 5 minutes on each side.
• Place steak on a plate, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Slice steak, divide onto plates, and serve with mushrooms and red wine sauce.

For Mushroom-Red Wine Sauce

• Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and 3 smashed garlic cloves in a large skillet until very hot.
• Remove the garlic** and add in 8 oz. of halved cremini mushrooms.***
• Cook the mushrooms until softened and golden brown (do not stir them).
• Remove the mushrooms, keeping any juices still in the pan.
• Add in 1/2 c. red wine and any juices from the steak's resting plate and reduce by half (about 3-5 minutes).
• Turn off the heat and whisk in 2 tbsp. cold butter. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
• Spoon mushrooms and sauce over sliced steak.

Serves two
*I used a New York Strip. Rib eye would be great too.
**By heating the garlic in the oil and removing it, you are infusing the garlic flavor without burning it.
***Also called baby bellas. Can substitute any mushrooms you like.