Beef Sirloin With Fresh Herb Marinade

Pan-seared steak is a classic recipe: uncluttered and elegant, like the little black dress of food. But sometimes you do want to dress it up just a little without losing the simplicity that made it so good in the first place. Enter a marinade (to strain the simile a little, you could call it a statement necklace for your steaks).

A simple marinade adds a fresh, herbal flavor that compliments the steak without overwhelming it – and it doesn’t add much to your prep time, either. If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can always substitute dried; just remember to lower the quantities since dried herbs are more intense. A typical rule of thumb is to reduce the quantities by 1/3, or simply replace each tablespoon of fresh herbs with one teaspoon of dried herbs. The flavor might not be quite as fresh, but if you have high-quality dried herbs, they’ll still work just fine.

The 20 minutes of marinating time just cry out to be used for making a side dish – here are some tasty suggestions with under 20 minutes of active time:

• Zucchini gremolata (chop and prep while the steak is marinating; cook at the same time).
• Asparagus ribbons with lemon dressing (do the prep work of shaving the asparagus while the steak marinates; then quickly steam the asparagus while the steak is cooking so everything will be ready at the same time).

Alternately, just toss in a quick tray of broccoli or cauliflower to roast, or quickly make some wilted spinach on the stovetop. There’s no need to use a specific “recipe” for everything, after all!

Beef Sirloin With Fresh Herb Marinade Recipe

SERVES: 4 PREP: 40 min. COOK: 15 min.

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Ingredients

• 2, 15-oz. beef sirloin steaks;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;

Ingredients for the marinade

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil;
• 3 garlic cloves, minced;
• 2 shallots, minced;
• 3 tbsp. fresh basil, minced;
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced;
• 2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, roughly chopped;
• 2 tbsp. fresh thyme, roughly chopped;
• 2 tsp. dried oregano;
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;

Preparation

1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade and season to taste.
2. Pour half of the marinade into another container. Add the steaks, and marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature.
3. Preheat a grill or skillet over a high heat.
4. Cook the steaks for 5 to 7 minutes per side for a medium-rare steak (or adjust to your preferred doneness level).
5. Spread the remaining marinade (the half that you didn’t use for the steaks) over a cutting board, and press both sides of each steak onto the marinade-covered board to pick up the herbs.
6. Slice the steaks and serve well coated with the marinade.