St. Valentines Series – Entrée Idea #1: Filet Mignon Steaks with Smashed Red Potato and Dill Sour Cream

​Ingredients for the Filets
2 filet mignon steaks season with salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsps. olive oil
2 medium size red potatoes
1 Avocado
Sour cream or Tzatziki (Greek yogurt dip)
Handful of Dill and Scallions
 
Directions
Clean and season your filets with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Let them rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
 
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees when ready to cook.
 
Meantime, in a hot skillet sear the filets for about 2-3 minutes per side or until a nice brown crust has formed. Don't move them around.
 
Once both sides are seared, carefully place the entire skillet with steaks in the center of the preheated oven for about 6-8 minutes, depending upon how thick your steak is.
 
Your steak will be ready when your meat thermometer reads 135 degrees in the center. Take it out of the oven and let it rest for 4-5 minutes before serving to keep them juicy.
 
Ingredients for Smashed Roasted Red Potatoes
2 small red potatoes (about 2 ½ inches in diameter) (You can use more than 2 if you like)
½ tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
 
Directions
Boil the potatoes in a small saucepan covered with at least an inch of water. Add a bit of salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook the potatoes until they are completely tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. Make sure they are cooked through but do not overcook. The total cooking time will be 20-30 minutes.
 
While the potatoes are cooking, set up a double layer of clean kitchen towels on your countertop. When the potatoes are done, remove them from the water, let them drain and sit for just a minute or two on kitchen towels.
Then, flatten the potatoes with another folded kitchen towel and gently press down on one potato at a time with the palm of your hand. You are aiming at a thickness of approximately 1/2 inch. Repeat with all the potatoes. If some break apart you can still put them back together and use them.
 
Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and put a sheet of parchment on top of the foil and spray with oil. Transfer the flattened potatoes carefully to the baking sheet and let them cool completely at room temperature.

To roast your potatoes
Heat the oven to 450°F. Sprinkle the potatoes with a little more salt and pour the olive oil over them. Make sure the potatoes are well coated on both sides. Roast the potatoes until they’re crispy and deep brown around the edges, about 30 minutes.  Turn them over once with a spatula halfway through cooking. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream or Tzatziki.

HACK: Prep potatoes ahead early on. You can boil and flatten them up to 8 hours ahead and store them on the pan, lightly covered, in the fridge. Just pour the oil and salt shortly before roasting. You can piggy back them in the oven with your filets, smile!