I woke up this morning thinking about that amazing dinner we had last night! I'm feeling particularly proud as Rick really raved about it, too :) So, what was different than all the other meals?
First was the meat. Rick bought this special cut at the Grand Central Market. It's called a sweetheart 
filet. It had a bit of bone on one side, and some of the fat left on it as well. And it was dry aged for 21 days. I pan fried the outside to get some good caramelization in a dry, hot pan, and popped in the oven to finish it. Simple salt and pepper seasoning. The meat tasted so rich from the dry aging - it was absolutely amazing. If you get the chance to pick up some dry aged beef, do it. Yes, pricey, but for a special occasion, much cheaper than going out. We both thought this was the best piece of meat we've had since we came to New York.
filet. It had a bit of bone on one side, and some of the fat left on it as well. And it was dry aged for 21 days. I pan fried the outside to get some good caramelization in a dry, hot pan, and popped in the oven to finish it. Simple salt and pepper seasoning. The meat tasted so rich from the dry aging - it was absolutely amazing. If you get the chance to pick up some dry aged beef, do it. Yes, pricey, but for a special occasion, much cheaper than going out. We both thought this was the best piece of meat we've had since we came to New York.Second were those incredible potatoes. I feel particularly proud to have thought up that flavor combination of smoked gouda and adding the garlic. The sweet smokey flavor was simply divine. I think it may have overpowered a roast chicken, but with this extra beefy beef, it was lovely. I've told you before that I don't like to make things that take a lot of dishwashing, and as you can imagine, this took quite a bit (food processor, mandoline, pan for the sauce, and eventually the bakeware). So I wouldn't make this on a weeknight. But, I will make this again :)
Sorry to gush and toot my own horn, but you didn't come to dinner so I had to share!
