Love and Tiny Steaks with Mushroom Sauce

I am in love, and have been happily so for a little while now.. my boyfriend is truly wonderful in every possible way, and I find myself with crazy thoughts of settling down in my head. The only problem is, we don't live in the same place. I don't particularly like living in Small Town so far, but I do love my new job here. I really miss my bf all the time though, and that makes me wonder about going back to City A, but it seems so early to make a drastic decision like that.. argh. Love is wonderful, but slightly frustrating. In fact, it was when he was visiting one weekend in Small Town, and I had a brief little cry about his impending departure back to the city that he said those magical words.. "I love you". That was several weeks ago now, and it is one of the only things I can think about lately. He is smart, thoughtful, ambitious, caring, kind, funny, sensitive, has the same values as me, and cares about the same things. We even sit at the breakfast table together sometimes, listening to NPR, and gazing into each others' nerdy/misty eyes. We are complete nerds, and I love him for it, and he loves me. Sigh. I'm going to see him again this weekend.

On another topic, I made an awesome dinner last night -- so delicious, and very economical! What you need: very thin-sliced round steaks (super cheap), mushrooms, milk, potatoes, butter, kale, garlic, red pepper flakes.

Tiny Steaks with Mashed Potatoes & Mushroom Gravy, and Sauteed Kale

In order for everything to be ready at the same time, you'll want to start with the potatoes -- clean them up, chop into even-sized pieces, and place in a small pot with cold water and plenty of salt. The quantity of potatoes will vary depending on how many people you want to serve, but my general rule is 2 potatoes per person -- who ever complained of too many mashed potatoes?? Anyway, put enough water to cover the chopped potatoes, place lid on top, and bring to boil on the stove.

Meanwhile, wash the kale, and give it a rough chop. I also remove the stems since they are sometimes tough. Remember that kale shrinks when it cooks, so I'd allow a generous handful of raw kale for each person. Also rinse and slice a couple of mushrooms, keeping them separate from the kale (serving for one, I used 2 button mushrooms).

Get out a good heavy iron skillet, wipe with an oiled napkin or paper towel -- not so much oil that it pools in the bottom, but enough to make the pan shiny. I use vegetable oil since it will be getting very hot. Heat the oiled pan for a few minutes on medium -- it will get very hot. While the pan is heating, this is a good time to check on the doneness of the potatoes, and get them ready to mash.

Drain cooked potatoes (poke them with a fork to test doneness) in a colander, then dump into the bowl of your standing mixer. Add salt, pepper, and butter to taste -- when the potatoes are very hot like this, they absorb more flavor. Begin mixing on a low setting, then add milk a little at a time, gradually speeding up the mixer to whip the potatoes. Adjust seasoning, and keep in a warm place.

Now, put the steak(s) into the hot cast iron skillet -- it will sizzle. Allow to cook 2-3 minutes on each side, getting nicely browned, but not overcooked. After flipping the steaks, get started on the kale.

In a separate saute pan, heat a little drizzle of olive oil with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. When hot, throw in chopped kale. It will sizzle and pop, especially if the kale is still wet, so beware. Stir kale quickly so it does not scorch. Once it begins to wilt, add chopped garlic to taste. Stir rapidly in pan, and add some salt. Do not brown the garlic. Add a splash of water towards the end (about 1 tbsp.), toss it around in the pan, and turn off the heat. It will be bright green, very garlicy and delicious.

Steak should be done cooking by now. Remove it from the iron pan, season with salt and pepper, and cover to keep warm. With heat turned down low (or off), put a pat of butter into same cast iron skillet, let melt, then throw in sliced mushrooms, with a little salt and pepper. Stir lightly and allow mushrooms to cook. When they are cooked, add some milk to the pan, bring up the heat, and scrape all the pan drippings into the gravy. Test the seasoning -- may need a little extra salt.

Now that everything is ready, serve steak next to a mound of mashed potatoes, top with mushroom gravy, and serve kale alongside. Serve with red wine of choice. This was awesome.