Monday, December 21, 2020

CAB Manhattan Filet with Creamed Spinach and Twice Baked Potatoes

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Have you ever had the Manhattan filet? I learned about this excellent cut from the Snake River Farms folks at Kingsford University back in 2011. It's essentially a NY Strip cut into two filets. I like this cut for the portion control and because it gets a little more crust on your filet.  

Here's a Manhattan filet that we made this weekend, along with the classic sides of creamed spinach and a twice-baked potato. 

Manhattan Filet with Creamed Spinach and Twice Baked Potato
Manhattan Filet with Creamed Spinach and Twice Baked Potato

Here's what we did for each item.

Manhattan Filet

The pictures tell the story for this one.

Certified Angus Beef New York Strip from Food City
We bought a Certified Angus Beef® Brand NY Strip Steak from the service counter at my nearby Food City.

Manhattan filet made from Certified Angus Beef Brand NY Strip from Food City
I trimmed the fat side, cut the steak in half and then tied them. I lightly applied a little peanut oil and then seasoned them with a 50/50 mix of Flavor Anonymous Moo'd Enhancer and my NMT Umami Steak Seasoning recipe.

Cooking Certified Angus Beef° Brand Manhattan Filet on the Big Green Egg Mini-Max
I grilled them at 500°f for 4 minutes a side, with a quarter turn on each side. I used the Big Green Egg Mini-Max with a Kick Ash Basket full of hot lump charcoal. I used a Woo Rig to elevate the cast iron grate a little bit.

I made a simple compound butter with minced garlic and a few pinches of my NMT Umami Steak Seasoning.


Grilling Manhattan Filet on the Big Green Egg mini-max kamado grill
As soon as I flipped my steaks, I put a little of the butter on each to let it melt and baste as it finishes cooking.



Using a resting rack to rest grilled steaks prevents loss of juices.
I pulled the steaks once they hit an internal temperature of 127°f. I put them on a wire rack to rest (this keeps trapped heat from causing juices to leak out while resting). I also put the rest of the butter on the steaks while they rested.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Nothing earth-shattering here but they are always so delicious. I oiled and seasoned some smallish Russet potatoes and wrapped them in foil. I baked them on a large Big Green Egg set up for indirect heat at 400°f until they were tender, about an hour.  I cut off the top, scooped out the insides and mixed that with butter, finely chopped green onion, shredded mild cheddar, and some of the Moo'd Enhancer to taste. Then I stuffed it all back into the shells, dusted the top with more seasoning, and popped them back into the Egg for about 20 minutes.

Stuffed and ready to go back into the grill. I rarely use the same mix twice. I just add butter, some kind of cheese, and some seasoning. Whatever I have on hand. Oh yeah, bacon or sour cream is always good.

Twiced baked potato cooked on a Big Green Egg
Sure, they've been done a million times but I always enjoy a cheesilicious twice baked potato.

Creamed Spinach

I should have taken better notes on this one. To be honest, we just threw it together because we had a bag of frozen spinach leftover from a project.  I sauteed about a 1/4 cup of finely diced onion in 4 tablespoons of butter. Then I sifted in 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and whisked it until it made a light roux, about a minute. Then I slowly poured in a cup of half-and-half while whisking continuously. Once that was hot, I added about a half cup of Monterey jack cheese, about a teaspoon of kosher salt, and a half teaspoon of white pepper. Finally, we cooked and drained the spinach and then added it to the cheese sauce.  If you want a detailed recipe, check out Chef John's Creamed Spinach. It's a winner every time.


Certified Angus Beef Manhattan Filet with Cream Spinach and Twice Baked Potato
It all came together, so well. 

Certified Angus Beef Manhattan Filet from Food City
Delicious!