New York Strip Steaks with Balsamic Reduction

I keep telling myself that I have to stop eating large steaks from Meats by John and Wayne for dinner so often.  But I’m such a sucker for the excellent, excellent steaks they have there.  They are thickly cut and have a superior beefy flavor.  Of course, because they are thick-cut, a “small” steak there weights at least 8 oz. and most are in the 14-16 oz. range.  I’m not complaining but that’s quite a bit of meat for a single serving. 

I went ahead and ate another steak from there anyway.  My co-workers and I were discussing a steak and I just became ravenous for beef.  So, here’s what I did:

New York Strip Steaks with Balsamic Reduction, based on this recipe

2 New York Strip Steaks (Ribeye would also work well)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar

1 T butter

Heat a heavy, non-reactive pan (preferably not non-stick) over medium-high heat.  Liberally season steaks with Kosher salt and pepper.  Cook steaks, turning once, until they reach your desired level of doneness.  Remove to a platter and loosely cover with foil.  Add garlic to the pan and then immediately add the balsamic vinegar.  Reduce the vinegar by half and then take the pan off the heat.  Whisk in the butter in two stages.  Serve sauce atop the steaks. 

What you end up with is some richly flavored and nicely browned steaks with a slightly sweet and buttery sauce.  The sauce has enough flavor to stand up to the strong beef flavor of the steaks.  It was really quite good.  Here’s a picture of the dish:

I served it with french fries made with Yukon Gold potatoes.  They act quite differently than russet potatoes.  They do not crisp nearly as well as the russets but they have a very, very nice creaminess that was quite pleasing as well as having that extra “butteriness” that is the hallmark of Yukon Golds.  Enjoy!