There are a few things my dad needs in his life, two of which are carbs and meat. Nothing makes his day more than coming home from work and seeing a grilled juicy medium-rare steak and some freshly fried potatoes on the table ready to be devoured.
My father was always known as THE grill guy amongst family and friends. Everyone knew that if you were craving the best steaks and burgers, you'd come to our house. There was one dish that he was especially known for more than anything which I'll definitely discuss it in a later post (likely with a recipe attached). I even remember my dad's best friend's son saying he'd want to come over because he was craving my dad's "man food". But essentially, we'd anticipate the arrival of warm weather because that meant one thing--dad will be cooking.
Our summers were constantly full of relatives or family friends sitting and joking around our table in the yard while my father manned the grill. I still see him bent over the grill, rotating meat skewers over the charcoal, and cursing the grill smoke that would blind him as he cooked. Everywhere he moved, it's like the smoke intentionally followed. But I knew (and maybe the smoke knew) that it's the love and effort he put into the food that made it taste so special. As the parents would set the table and converse, us kids would drag the basketball hoop from our backyard to the dead end street where we would play for hours. But once the smell of charcoal wafted throughout the entire street, we'd all drop everything and come running to eat.
Because of that, we'd have a lot of leftovers--especially of steak. One day, in high school, my dad took a break from the grill to show me a recipe on the stove top. This was shocking for me seeing as I have never seen him even touch a frying pan, let alone cook there. But in that moment, the steak and eggs recipe was revealed to me. While most people might make it differently, this was inspired by a dish we'd have in our culture called Kalmyk Chai--a steeped tea served with fried meat and fried potatoes. Ever since that day, I'd make it for my dad whenever we'd have steak left over. It didn't matter whether it was for breakfast, lunch, or dinner--this dish hit the spot every time.
So please, use your leftovers and get creative with them. Even if it's as simple as adding it to a pan with some eggs and making some new nostalgic memories.
'Man Food' Steak and Eggs
(What you get when the chicken crossed the farm)
Ingredients
Serves 2 people (Picture serves 3)
1 c leftover steak, sliced
1 c leftover home fries (or take 1 large russet potato and follow step 4)
4 jumbo eggs
1/4 tsp vegeta
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt (to taste)
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of chili flakes
1 tbsp neutral oil (Grapeseed preferred)
Steps
Crack each egg into a small bowl and then transfer into one larger bowl. This ensures that if an egg yolk cracks, it doesn't ruin the other eggs in the bowl.
Slice your leftover steak into 1/2 inch thick slices. I typically cut them in half again for maximum crispiness (as seen in the picture), but you don't have to.
Place a frying pan or a deep skillet on the stove. Splash a few drops of water in the pan to check if it's hot. If the droplets boil off immediately, add your oil and get ready to cook.
If you have leftover potatoes, skip this step and go to step 5. If you don't have any leftover home fries: peel 1 large potato. Cut in half lengthwise and slice to create half-round slices. In the skillet, add your potatoes and season with salt and black pepper to taste. It's okay if they are on top of one another. Don't mix. When you see the bottom layer start to get a light brown crust, flip with a spatula as best as you can. You're not mixing. You're placing the spatula under and flipping in sections (like a burger). Cook for another few minutes. If you poke them with a fork and it pierces through, they're done. If you're worried that the potatoes are browning but undercooked inside, add 1/4 c of water to prevent burning and calmly let it cook until done. Remove from the pan.
Turn the heat to high. Add your sliced steak in. After 1-2 minutes, flip in a similar manner to the potatoes in step 4.
Add your potatoes immediately after flipping along with all the seasonings and mix all together.
Create 4 spaces in the pan and gently add in the eggs.
Turn heat down to medium-low and cook until the whites are cooked and slightly jiggly (around 3-5 minutes). Don't worry if the whites look slightly under, the residual heat in the pan will cook them.
Serve with your favorite toast, some hot sauce, and ketchup if you want! Enjoy!
Substitution Suggestions
Vegan: Can use your favorite vegan egg product (like Just Egg) and serve it scrambled. Can substitute meat for mushroom steaks, cauliflower steaks, or any vegan meat product.
Vegetarian: Can substitute meat for mushroom steaks, halloumi cheese, cauliflower steaks, or any vegan meat product.
Gluten-Free: This dish is gluten-free.
Dairy-Free: This dish is dairy-free.
Kosher: This dish is kosher.
Halal: This dish is halal.
No Steak: Can leftover burgers (sliced), roast beef, or any grilled leftover meat. Chicken or Fish is not ideal.
No Russet Potatoes: Can use any type of potato (just double if they are smaller). If none, can use turnip, daikon, sweet potatoes, or another root vegetable.
No Vegeta: Can use a pinch of turmeric and 1/4 tsp of a bouillon cube.
No Paprika: Can use 1/4 tsp of tomato paste diluted with water, 1/4 tsp of pepper paste diluted with water, or just omit.
No Garlic Powder: Can use 1 crushed garlic clove or 1/4 tsp of adobo seasoning.
No Onion Powder: Can add same amount of extra garlic powder.
Any other substitutions you'd like? What leftover ingredients did you end up using? Let me know below!
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