Ingredients 1 teaspoon of oil or rendered fat (duck, lard, etc.)
1 hanger steak (about 1 pound)*
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sauce Ingredients
1/4 cup of red wine
1/4 cup of beef stock or veal demi-glace
1 teaspoon of unsalted butter, cold
Directions
Heat a large heavy-bottomed sauté pan or skillet over high heat and add oil. When the oil is hot, season the steak with salt and pepper, and brown evenly, turning as needed, until it is done to your taste — six to eight minutes for medium-rare hanger steak (remember, the steak will continue cooking while it rests); a minute longer for medium; two to three minutes longer for well done. Transfer the steak to a plate and set aside in a warm place while you make the pan sauce.
Deglaze the pan with wine: simmer while stirring and scraping up brown bits until liquid is reduced by half, about one minute. Add stock and simmer, stirring, until sauce is slightly thickened, about one minute. Remove from heat and whisk in cold butter. This will thicken your sauce slightly. Adjust salt to taste.
To serve, slice steaks on the bias (across the grain) into finger-width pieces, fan out one-half steak per person, and drizzle with pan sauce. Serves two.
Sauce variations: After cooking the meat, sauté onions, mushrooms or anything you think would go great on your steak. Then deglaze and proceed. This sauce is limited only by your imagination!
* If hanger steak is not available, you can substitute a flatiron or skirt steak instead, and adjust cook times. For a 1-pound flatiron: cook about three to four minutes per side for medium rare. For a 1-pound skirt steak: cook about two minutes per side for medium rare.
Reprinted by permission from Primal Cuts: Cooking with America's Best Butchers by Marissa Guggiana. Welcome Books, 2010.
