Fridays on the BottleBlog will feature a food-related article, wine pairing, or travelogue. Today, Newlywed Wine Manager Mark Ricca tells us how he prepared this fantastic meal for his rehearsal dinner!
Flannery Porterhouse Steaks, Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts Roasted with Bacon and Onions
When planning my wedding with my fiancée, we decided that we'd get the most enjoyment and value by preparing the rehearsal dinner ourselves. ("Ourselves" actually meant "me.") I reached out to my friend Bryan Flannery of Bryan's Fine Foods in Corte Madera, California. Bryan, a Master Butcher who is taking the butcher's art to new heights, is the source for some of the best beef in the country. This was going to be, more or less, a sit-down dinner for about thirty guests and I wanted to serve a meal that was both simple in preparation, and of outstanding quality. Bryan suggested Porterhouse steaks cut 2 1/2 inches thick, which I would sear over a mesquite fire and then finish in a hot oven. These could then be carved off the bone and served quickly. For the side dishes, in keeping with the theme "Simple, But Delicious," I chose my best straightforward mashed potatoes recipe, and oven roasted brussel sprouts tossed with hickory smoked bacon and sweet onions. These were foods that, once prepared, could be held in an oven until everything was ready.
The plan was fairly simple. I would do 90% of the cooking at my home where the charcoal grills are (yes, I need two), searing the steaks, making the mashed potatoes, and roasting the sprouts. Because our house simply isn't big enough for a crowd that big, we would then transport the meal to my future in-laws' home.
Bryan would ship eight steaks, weighing approximately 3 lbs. each, to my home the day before the dinner. I did my shopping that day. 15 lbs. of potatoes, 10 lbs. of brussel sprouts and 1 ½ lbs. of bacon would all be transformed into a feast for a hungry crowd of family and friends. I started by prepping the brussel sprouts, onions and bacon. These would be the easiest and quickest to reheat, so having them done first and then cooling off afterward was not a concern.
Everything really is better with bacon.
I'll put this into more realistic quantities for those who might want to prepare it:
-1 lb. Brussel Sprouts, trimmed at bottom and cut in half
-3 oz. Bacon (4-5 strips or equivalent of slab) diced large
-4 oz. Sweet onion (Walla Walla or Mayan) julienne cut (this is about ¼ of a large onion.)
Pre-heat the oven to 400F. In a deep sauté pan, sweat the bacon and cook until crisp. Add the onions and sauté until they begin to brown. Mix all the contents of the sauté pan with the brussel sprouts. Season lightly with salt (accounting for the saltiness of the bacon) and generously with black pepper, and put them into a roasting pan, and then into the oven. Roast at 400F for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until the sprouts are cooked and browned. This should serve 3-4 adults.
My mashed potato recipe in more realistic quantities:
-2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and cut into large pieces.
Place the potatoes into a sufficiently large pot, cover with cold water, and add 2-3 Tablespoons of good quality salt such as sea salt or kosher salt. Start with 2 Tablespoons and stir the pot. If the water tastes slightly salty, like weak seawater, proceed to bring the potatoes to a boil. The idea here is that, with potatoes, you want the salt to cook into them. Ideally you don't need to add any more salt when you whip them.
-1 pt. Whole milk
-½ lb. Unsalted butter
Put the butter and milk into a saucepan and when the potatoes are close to boiling, heat the dairy products over medium heat. Do not allow them to boil, but only melt and become hot.
Boil the potatoes until they are just tender enough to be mashed with a fork. Drain them in a large colander and allow them to steam dry for a few minutes. If you are going to whip the potatoes by hand, return them to the pot they were boiled in, or put them into the bowl of a mixer. Using a ladle, add the hot dairy product to the potatoes and whip taking care not to splash. (Hey!!! It's Hot!!!) Add the butter and milk until you reach a desired consistency. Check for seasoning, adding salt if necessary and pepper. I use black pepper but if the appearance of black pepper bothers you, go ahead and use white.
The finished potatoes were put into large foil pans and covered and held in my oven at 200F until the steaks were seared and we were ready to leave.The steaks Bryan sent were GORGEOUS!!! These were Prime midwestern steaks from grain fed cattle. I blotted them dry and seasoned them generously with coarse sea salt and coarse fresh ground black pepper.
As I had mentioned, each of these weighed approximately 3 lbs. and would feed three adults easily. I fired up both of my Weber kettles with hardwood charcoal. Once the coals were ready, I added lumps of mesquite wood. Putting on four steaks per grill, I seared the meat and then put the lids on the grills to lower the heat and prevent flare-ups. Because these steaks are so well marbled and rich, I like to cook them to medium rare so all that fat melts and bastes the meat. I took them off the grill to let them rest for about 20 minutes or so, and we were ready to roll.
I managed to get a couple of ounces of Burgundy truffles to shave over the top of the carved meat just to take it all to a higher level (as if that were necessary). Hopefully you only get married once!So, what did we drink with all this beefy madness, you ask?
I ended up bringing an assortment of red wines. My personal favorites were the Villa des Anges Cabernet Sauvignon, a Cab from the southern French region of the Languedoc Roussillon that is very attractively priced for how really good it is, and a Januik Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I really love Washington state Cabs. They really give Napa Valley a run for the money and this particular one kicks butt.
Dinner was a huge success. We could not have achieved the quality of food for the same money in a restaurant and I love the challenge of cooking for large groups.
If you are looking for contact information for Bryan Flannery, please email me at mricca@joecanals.net.
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