These days, prime cuts of beef are usually saves for sales to restaurants, which makes some mathematical sense: Roughly three percent of all beef graded qualifies to be called USDA Prime. Therefore, there is simply not enough supply to support a widespread distribution channel, except rarely.
I was lucky enough to find one roast left at the restaurant Depot recently and had a field day with it. I butchered down the roast and cut it into 1.5” steaks.
In my opinion, high quality beef needs only salt & pepper to be perfect. But for such a fine steak, accompaniments needed to be perfect. (Especially since my daughter was coming to dinner - can’t help myself.)
I grilled some asparagus and the steaks, then added this crab stuffing and a nice hollandaise.
For The Crab Stuffing
INGREDIENTS
1 large green onion, white and green part minced and chopped
1⁄2 lb crabmeat
2⁄3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
1⁄2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1⁄3 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced
4 tablespoons fresh chives, finely minced
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 350.
Mix all the stuffing ingredients into a small greased casserole.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
For The Hollandaise
INGREDIENTS
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice , or more as desired for flavor
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 cup unsalted butter or ghee, or more for a thinner consistency, melted and hot.
METHOD
Melt the butter in a microwave (make sure it’s covered as it will splatter) for about 1 minute, until it’s hot. Alternatively, you could heat it on the stove.
Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, Dijon, salt and cayenne pepper into a high powered blender or food processor and blend for 5 seconds until combined.
With the blender running on medium high, slowly stream in the hot butter into the mixture until it’s emulsified.
Pour the Hollandaise sauce into a small bowl and serve while warm.
Because of the asparagus and Hollandaise, this is similar to an Oscar topping, but it’s a bit different. Oscar is much wetter and creamier - no bread crumbs, etc., and it’s often served with a Bearnaise.
You might be tempted to serve a rich Cabernet Sauvignon with this dish since it’s a beautiful steak. But it won’t really go with the crab or Hollandaise (or even the asparagus, actually).
Try a heavily-oaked Chardonnay like Far Niente or Rombauer. A good Champagne would also work.