I would serve up something like this.
Steaks aren’t really part of the traditional Greek diet. There isn’t much by way of aged steaks like we know here North America. Beef and veal are most used for braising, stews and mince.
There are some butchers who have know-how to butcher cows with an eye towards steak cuts and they even have their own aging and hanging rooms for the beef. These butchers cater to the steak houses in Athens, Thessaloniki and some of the jet-set Greek islands.
Having spoken to butchers about how they butcher cattle differently from their North American colleagues, the consistent reply I get is that although they (Greek butchers) know how to butcher for steak cuts, there is little demand for it in the Greek market.
Another thing one should know is that many (perhaps most) Greeks like their meats well-done. There’s a generational gap between myself, cousins and our parents as us younger folks like our meat medium to rare and our parents like their beef well-done. It’s a cultural thing, no right or wrong – that’s just how it is.
On to the dinner. The flavours and ingredients used for this dish are used in Greek cooking but none of the dish can be really characterized as “Greek food”. Greek-inspired, yes. Greek recipe – NO. I can’t say that anything here is derived from recipes of our forefathers or even from a Greek cookbook per se.
The steak is inspired by my dad’s treatment of a steak….coarse salt, black pepper, garlic powder and dried Greek oregano.
The mashed potatoes utilize Yukon Gold potatoes, roasted garlic, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, scallions and crumbled Feta.
The beans are simple…a quick saute of sliced mushrooms with some roasted garlic and olive oil and blanched green beans get tossed in at the end to warm through. This pairing was inspired by a recent beans and mushrooms recipe posted over at my dear friend’s Kalyn’s Kitchen.
Put the steak, mashed potatoes and green beans with ‘shrooms and you have a wonderful steak dinner with “an eye towards Greece”.
Pull up a chair, let me fetch a bottle (or two) and please do, have a seat. You’re having steak at my place tonight. Let’s sip some wine, talk food, think about summer vacation plans and enjoy a wonderful steak dinner!
Pan-seared Steak With Roasted Garlic and Oregano
(for 4) 
4 New York Strip steaks, 3/4 – 1 in. thick
olive oil
unsalted butter
coarse sea salt
fresh cracked black pepper
garlic powder
dried Greek oregano
Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Feta
4 large Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 bulb of garlic
4 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
the green tops of 2 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup of unsalted butter
approx. 1 cup of milk
crumbled Feta cheese to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Mushrooms and green beans
4 handfuls of green beans, trimmed
1 cup of Cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 cloves of roasted garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Pre-heated 375F oven
- Peel and cut your potatoes into quarters. Place inside a pot and cover with water and reserve. Preheat your oven to 375F. Cut the top off your head of garlic and place in some tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap up, place in a oven-proof vessel and roast for about 40 minutes. Allow to cool. You may also use this time to boil your beans in salted water (until al dente) and then shock by placing in a icy water bath. Drain and reserve.
- Bring your steaks to room temperature for cooking. Drizzle some olive oil on both sides of the steaks and season with coarse salt, fresh ground black pepper, garlic powder and dried Greek oregano. Start your pot of potatoes by boiling them in salted water and cook until fork tender.
- Place your skillet on the stove-top over high heat and add a couple of pads of butter and some olive oil. sear your steaks in batches until both sides are a deep brown colour and reserve on a baking tray (reduce heat to medium-high).
- When the steaks are all seared-off, place the baking tray in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes (for medium), remove from the oven, place on a plate and tent with foil. Allow to rest about 5 minutes before serving.
- In the meantime, your potatoes should be ready to make your mashed potatoes. Strain the water from the potatoes, add butter and all but 2-3 cloves of the roasted garlic (for the beans and mushrooms). Add the milk, sun-dried tomatoes, and mash up some more. Now using a wooden spoon, mix in the crumbled Feta and scallions and then taste and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper. Reserve & keep warm.
- In a skillet, add a few turns of love oil and add your sliced mushrooms over medium-high heat. Stir to coat the mushrooms with oil and season with some salt and pepper. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and cook off for another 5 minutes. Take the lid off and add the beans and the remaining 2-3 roasted cloves of garlic. Toss to mix and and taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and keep warm.
- Divide the mashed potatoes by spooning a big scoop onto the middle of each plate, place a steak on top of half the steak and place a mound of beans and mushrooms on the side.
PLEASE NOTE: You may certainly grill the steaks on your outdoor if it’s warm enough in your part of the world.
If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author. © 2007-2009 Peter Minakis
87 Responses
Hmmm…comments acting funny on this. Perfect meal — Greek inspired is good to me. I love the flavors you’ve added to the potatoes. Photos are outstanding…
Now that my friends is a meal. I waver on doneness. Lamb , I prefer well done( dont shot me). Steak I can take medium rare with crispy fatty bits.
Then I’d come and be your very first customer.
Cheers,
Elra
That’s a gorgeous steak! I’d gladly pay for such a meal…
Cheers,
Rosa
That’s a gorgeous steak! I’d gladly pay for such a meal…
Cheers,
Rosa
That’s a gorgeous steak! I’d gladly pay for such a meal…
Cheers,
Rosa
That’s a gorgeous steak! I’d gladly pay for such a meal…
Cheers,
Rosa
That’s a gorgeous steak! I’d gladly pay for such a meal…
Cheers,
Rosa
That’s a gorgeous steak! I’d gladly pay for such a meal…
Cheers,
Rosa
I would find myself on the doorstep of your steakhouse every day Peter.
I can imagine the horror on their faces when you first ordered your steak rare……
Great meal, Peter!!!
Mmmm YUM – I love steak!!
I’d come to your steak house and order that very meal – love the mashed potatoes with roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes AND feta!!!
As for the wine can I have a glass (or two) of red please!
Oh, I’m so glad to see your recipe. From the “tweet” I thought you were preparing all those lovely ingredients as a sauce for the steak, which is why I suggested a less precious cut be used (Sirloin vs. New York Strip). Keep an eye out for #meatcamp on Twitter – planning an interesting and fun education / dining experience in the Spring, Cabbagetown area. On this note, would love to compare notes on beef / pork etc. – who your favorite sources are, etc.
Although I adore a steak, I would be happy with just a bowl of the mash and a spoon!
Now I’ll take some of THAT! Your veggies are such a nice accompaniment to the meat.
I am not a mashed potatoes girl, but yours could convert me!
Now that’s what I’m talking about. Oh yeah, bring it on Peter! Can we have some ice cold beers with this?
You should open a steak house..I’ll help you run it (I’ve run a few solid businesses in my life). You would do well with it.
Mmmmmmm! Looks delicious Peter. Quite possibly the perfect meal!
If you owned a steakhouse in Greece, I would definitely come and find you. We go to Greece every summer, and like you said, you cannot find a place that serves steaks for the reasons you mentioned.
Glad I found your blog, will be checking back for some more of your delicious recipes.
you can cook this for me anytime Peter
ah, yes, pink meat – first, your customers will tell you it’s not yet cooked, then they’ll say you’re a vampire. it takes a bit of getting used to.
if i came to toronto, you could initiate me on this one!
Love it — the steak looks great and the mashed potatoes outstanding!
My mother in-law always looks at every cut of beef I bring home with wonderment when she is visiting us from Greece. I’m glad to say I finally “impressed” her with braised short ribs the last time she was here, a cut of meat which she claimed she’d never seen before (that good impression lasted only as long as it took us to finish our meal!).
Looks like a wonderful meal. I would come to your steakhouse any time! Glad you liked the idea of combining beans with mushrooms too, your version looks great!
Delicious!…would love to join your table!
This looks so good! The pink color of your steak is just phenomenal. My compliments.
I’m sure this meal would sell fast. Everything looks like they go so well together. DH would dive in.
Just the way I like it! Delicious meal Peter.
That steak is absolute perfection, Peter!! And the beans remind me so much of the way my mom used to prepare them. I’d come to your steakhouse :)
For me the steak is cooked to perfection and the potatoes sound scrumptious. An ‘inspired’ dish is sometimes better because it marries an element of a traditional recipe and with a more contemporary execution.
now supposedly if you want the best sear on the outside you should not add any fats (ie: olive oil), but we usually rub ours w/ olive oil too. i think i may have to do a test on that – we are having steak tonight so i’ll try it w/o my usual olive oil. god i love a good steak. yours is cooked perf!
Looks great Peter. I think the rare vs well done thing isn’t just cultural/generational but it has to do with food safety and refrigeration. It didn’t used to be safe to eat meat that was any shade other than brown, so that’s what people got used to. Thank goodness for modern refrigeration:-)
Praise be to beef, this looks awesome! You know, my Italian relatives like their meat well-done also. I’ve only just recently, like in the past year, started to eat my meat with some pink left inside in part because of what I’ve seen on blogs. My hubby and son are big beef fans, and would inhale this meal. My girls would also devour every bite. I think it’s safe to say that if you owned a steakhouse, you’d have a line of people waiting out the door to sample a meal like this. YUM!
I used to eat my steack rare… but so many years in Greece and I hardly can eat it like this now…I love your mashed potatoes !
I can completely related to the cultural preference of well cooked meat. I still see it here among people of my own generation and it crosses over to lamb and veal as well. Like you said, no right or wrong, just different.
Peter, it was such a pleasure meeting you yesterday!! Thanks for taking the time to share a few drinks and a lot of laughs.
That steak dinner looks divine – I’m a total potato fiend (Irish in a past life?), and would have been all over that mash.
Now this is a real steakhouse treat! If you woned a steakhouse I’d be your bestest customer!
peter, if you owned a steakhouse anywhere and served stuff like this, i’d travel to visit. good stuff.
That does look like an outstanding steak house meal. One of the great things about living in the “New World” is that we have great freedom in adapting old world flavours and recipes.
I will have mine medium, please.
I’d come to your steakhouse Peter! Those mashed potatoes sound delicious and that’s exactly how I like my steak cooked!
Perfectly cooked steak and nice job on keeping the seasoning on the steak simple.
Reserve me a table with a view at your steakhouse!
I couldnt resist and came back and have been lurking at your blog. Your have so many wonderful recipes and I will definitely be using them. I love the Greek inspired ones with a Greek flavor twist to them.
From an artist’s point of view, I find your photography as very amazing. It tells the story completely. Very well done!
Thank you for stopping by my blog and feel free to use whatever images you can!!
Georgia
No steaks? That probably explains the long life expectancy.
…and I’d totally go eat at your hypothetical Greek steakhouse if I ever hypothetically make it to Greece.
I love your mashed potato variation. You and I are very much on the same wavelength with how we like our green beans too.
Oh, yeah. Peter, this is my kindofa steak. And those mashed potatoes would take me over the edge with glee!
I love those potatoes Peter!
I must admit I have not been a big steak person in the past, but now that I eat only grassfed beef, that is changing. But my eye went right to your veggies! Well done!
Ah – steak is on the menu tonight! And, it will be “warm” enough to grill outside! Love checking in to your blog to see what you’ve been cooking – it all looks wonderful!
Peter, that looks like the perfect steak. I’m a true steak and chips girls at heart.
Now that is a good looking steak. I love mine to be pink on the inside still but have to cook it a little longer for the hubby. Um I think you need to own a steak house, yours would be top top top!
Steak was definitely a huge part of my pappou’s diet – he ate one every night after the restaurant till the day he died. lol. My whole family actually likes their beef medium rare, but other meats and even fish, they go for well done. Go figure. For me, the bloodier the better :) This looks perfectly cooked.
First of all, the mash sounds so flavourful it can easily be a meal by itself! As for the steak I’m pretty sure the connaisseurs already spoke their mind, lovely pink.
If you owned a steak house in Greece I would be the first to make reservations!! That looks so incredible and of course cooked to perfection!!!
I’m coming to Peter’s Steak House, too! The potatoes look good, as well.
ohh, my. i hope you do open a steak house in greece someday! i would travel there just to have this steak! it is so perfectly cooked and sounds just delicious!
Everything looks great – especially those mashed potatoes !
Seriously, those mashed potatoes are in steep competition with that steak. I don’t know which I want more!
Look at this perfect shade of pink! I see my dinner is served Peter, I’ll be right over. :-)
I like your dad’s treatment of steak!
You should own a steakhouse – you do know that, right?
Oh this is soo yummy! I love steaks! It’s not just the Greeks who like their steak medium rare…the Russians do too!
If you do own a steakhouse, it will definitely be a hit! ;p I wish our steakhouses serve this type of quality ;p
Peter, please be the owner of such a restaurant.
I’ll be your best client!!
Every day I’ll be there!
I do not eat beef but sure like the mashed potatoes. Maybe you should open a place :)
That steak is cooked to perfection! You’ve got me craving steaks at six AM.
Those Greeked-up mashed potatoes gave me a toe-curl, darling.
I think your steakhouse would be pretty popular with dishes like this!
OMG Peter, this was soooo good. I loved the steak it was perfectly done. I also loved the potatoes they were absoulutly fabulous. I will be definatly making this again for company. I plated my dinner almost exactly as you did, however I served some delicious fried mushroom with mine. Thanks again and I cant wait for your next post.
OMG Peter, this was soooo good. I loved the steak it was perfectly done. I also loved the potatoes they were absoulutly fabulous. I will be definatly making this again for company. I plated my dinner almost exactly as you did, however I served some delicious fried mushroom with mine. Thanks again and I cant wait for your next post.
OMG Peter, this was soooo good. I loved the steak it was perfectly done. I also loved the potatoes they were absoulutly fabulous. I will be definatly making this again for company. I plated my dinner almost exactly as you did, however I served some delicious fried mushroom with mine. Thanks again and I cant wait for your next post.
OMG Peter, this was soooo good. I loved the steak it was perfectly done. I also loved the potatoes they were absoulutly fabulous. I will be definatly making this again for company. I plated my dinner almost exactly as you did, however I served some delicious fried mushroom with mine. Thanks again and I cant wait for your next post.
OMG Peter, this was soooo good. I loved the steak it was perfectly done. I also loved the potatoes they were absoulutly fabulous. I will be definatly making this again for company. I plated my dinner almost exactly as you did, however I served some delicious fried mushroom with mine. Thanks again and I cant wait for your next post.
OMG Peter, this was soooo good. I loved the steak it was perfectly done. I also loved the potatoes they were absoulutly fabulous. I will be definatly making this again for company. I plated my dinner almost exactly as you did, however I served some delicious fried mushroom with mine. Thanks again and I cant wait for your next post.
Peter, I’d dine at your steakhouse in a heartbeat—good food, good conversation and great wine. I’m there!
If you owned a steakhouse in Greece (or anywhere, for that matter), I’d be out there like a shot. Do it!
What a nice meal… I prefer well-done, and everyone picks on me because of that…
I’m a medium rare girl all the way. I always use yukon golds for mashed potatoes as well, I find them so much better than russets. I’ve never heard of adding feta to mashed potatoes though. That sounds so delicious!
Thanks! I think I will pull up a seat. For if you owned a steakhouse, I’d be a patron. And I’ll take that glass of wine to wash down this scrum-diddly-umptious meal! Nice and pink! Perfectly done.
Ah, beef, you have to love it! Now this meal I could easily get used to. Looks gorgeous.
If you owned a restaurant, you would find me visiting and make sure you have loads of those amazing sounding potatoes to go with the steak.
Ha! Peter did you notice our steak posts have the same side dishes? Green beans with mushrooms and roasted garlic mashed potatoes? Yours looks fabulous!
LL
This could easily become my favourite meal. :)
Gosh Peter, have mercy! I am seriously craving a steak now!
Same cultural thing here in the Caribbean about wanting steak well done.
If you had a steakhouse in Greece… I would come and spend lots and lots of money…
I think it’s much the same here in France: steaks are normally quite thin and meant to be pan-fried to well done. The Brit’s also tend to like both lamb and beef well-done… No comment!
Meat and potatoes…I love it!
I hope you manage to own a steakhouse in Greece, because with such fantastic steak I am sure it would be a great success!
Perfectly pink steak Peter! That mash with feta and sun tomatoes sounds gorgeous.
There was a steakhouse a few blocks from the Athens Hilton years ago and was always quite busy. They served a typical American steak with mashed potatoes and delicious salads. We always went once a month when we needed that ‘steak’ fix.