Name: Steak, Mushroom, and Blue Cheese Salad
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 strip steaks (10 to 12 ounces each), about 1 inch thick; Salt and pepper; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 1 shallot , minced; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 10 ounces white mushrooms , sliced thin; 6 cups baby spinach; 2 tablespoons capers , minced; 1 cup crumbled blue cheese

Why This Recipe Works

Our Steak, Mushroom, and Blue Cheese Salad recipe is a twist on a classic flavor combination. The pan should be very hot before adding the steaks. Cooking steaks in a pan that isn’t properly preheated leads to meat that overcooks before developing a good crust. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat with a bit of vegetable oil until the oil smokes, which indicates that the pan is hot enough. We preferred to buy a whole chunk of blue cheese and crumble it ourselves, as the pre-crumbled blue cheese tends to be dry and bland. We used a fork to break the cheese into small bits.

Before You Begin

Cooking the mushrooms in a few tablespoons of vinaigrette (rather than the usual oil) gives them a tangy flavor.

Instructions

Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook steaks until well browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and tent with foil. Pour off fat but do not wipe out pan.

Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, shallot, mustard, and remaining oil in bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and 3 tablespoons vinaigrette and cook until mushrooms are golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside and allow mushrooms to cool for 5 minutes.

Toss spinach, capers, mushrooms, and remaining vinaigrette in large serving bowl. Slice steak thinly and arrange over salad. Sprinkle with blue cheese. Serve.