If you’re like me, you probably aren’t a world class chef. If you are, feel free to move on to the next article because this one is for the Average Joe’s in the kitchen. Cooking dinner is not that hard of a task believe it or not. Is it easy to ruin a meal? Yes, and I’ll raise my hand I’ve done it several times. But if you’re a competent person, cooking dinner for your family isn’t that hard.
The problem comes when you’re working all day and aren’t exactly thinking about what to make for dinner. We all lead busy lives, and sometimes, food is the last thing you’re thinking about during the day. Then dinner time sneaks up on you and you’re scrambling to throw some Hot Pockets in the toaster oven.
Well don’t fear, as someone who thinks about food from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep, and most nights, I’m dreaming about it, I am here to help. I wanted to provide you with a relatively easy dinner that you can make to impress your spouse and potentially kids (unless they’re picky like mine). So, grab that apron and listen up…well actually keep reading.
*I should note, don’t follow the instructions 100%. This is more to give you an idea of what to cook. Depending on the size of your family you’ll need to add or take away things, so this isn’t an exact recipe.
The Dinner: A Porterhouse steak with baked potatoes and a side salad.
Total Time (Prep plus cooking): 20 – 25 minutes.
What You’ll Need:
-A Grill (preferably an outdoor one and not a George Foreman)
-A Microwave
-1 lb. Porterhouse Steak
-Russet Potatoes
-Bag of Premade Salad from Your Favorite Grocery Store
-Your favorite dressing
What to Do:
- Season Your Meat: Don’t get crazy with this part. A steak should have a ton of flavor on its own so don’t go adding a thousand different seasonings. Salt, pepper, some olive oil, and that’s it. Step away from the seasoning cabinet.
- Put the potatoes in the microwave: Most microwaves in 2021 have a “potato” button. Push that for as many potatoes that are in there. If your microwave doesn’t have that, you are on your own.
- Preheat Your Grill: Preheat your grill for about 10 minutes to let it get nice and hot. It should at least be 500 degrees Fahrenheit at minimum.
- Put Your Steak on the Grill: After your steak has been sitting in seasoning for a few minutes, put it on the grill. Depending on how thick the steak is, how you like it cooked, and how many steaks you have, the cooking time will vary. Generally, I would say between 8-10 min per side to get your steak to medium. Again, use a meat thermometer please. If you’re looking for it to be medium, you want to take it off when it has a reading of about 140-145 and let it sit for a few minutes
- While Your Steak is Cooking, Put Potatoes on the Grill: Once the potatoes are done in the microwave, put them on the grill for 5-10 minutes to give them a nice grill flavor.
- Plate Your Food: Take the steaks off the grill when the temperature is at your liking, take the potatoes off, plate everything up and don’t forget to put your premade salad in a bowl.
From prep time to eating time, this should take you about 20-25 minutes. The key here is that it’s a porterhouse steak so the meal looks to be fancy, when in actuality, if you add up the price of the steak potatoes and salad, it should only cost you around $20 to $25 (again depending on how much you get.
So that’s it, nice and easy and you look like you’re a fancy chef.
I’d be curious to hear in the comments section how your dinner came out. Let me know if it was an A plus or a kitchen disaster.
The Workin' Parent 