Before she moved to New York City for law school, me and my girlfriend used to have a #MaltNight almost every weekend.

Her name is Mal, my name is Matt, so Matt + Mal = Malt.

These #MaltNight’s were our date nights where we’d walk to Whole Foods during the day, buy the ingredients for that night, along with some wine, and prepare a steak dinner for two. I’d cook the steaks, she’d whip up the creamy potato gratin, and we’d both enjoy wine.

It was absolutely delicious every single time. And sharing it with someone you love makes the meal twice as good and creates a beautiful intimacy to the entire night.

However, now there’s a problem ⏤ she’s gone, so I have to carry on the tradition by myself.

And, as most men can attest to, we get lazier with the cooking when the woman is gone.

So I’ve dropped the mushroom sauce and the cheesy potato gratin, and made the audible to a simple baked potato (or three). Nonetheless, the meal is still scrumptious and can be cooked in half the time, so I wanna share it with you today.

*Note: I adopted how I make the steak from this original article. I’d also recommend you read through steps 1-10 in entirety before getting started, prepping anything you may need beforehand to make things run smoothly.

STEAK DINNER FOR 1: STUFF YOU NEED TO BUY

• One 6-8 oz steak; ~2-inch thick filet mignon or ~1-inch thick sirloin
• 1-3 medium russet potatoes
• Butter (I prefer grass-fed Kerrygold butter)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Broccoli florets
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Red or White wine (optional, but this for red and this for white)
• Diet Coke (again, optional)
• Aluminum foil and microwavable plastic bag

30 MINUTES BEFORE COOKING

Step 1

Pour yourself a hearty glass of wine and turn on this song if you’re feeling elegant or this song if you’re feeling upbeat.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 425º.

*sip wine*

Step 3

Set the steak out to let it get to room temperature. You can go ahead and salt and pepper the top and bottom at your discretion (don’t season the sides). I like to gently “massage” the salt and pepper into the meat so it doesn’t slide off.

*sip wine*

Step 4

Wash off the potatoes and broccoli, dry the potato with a paper towel. Using a fork, poke holes on the top and bottom of the potato (I do about 4 total “pokes”, 2 on each side, about 1/2 inch deep) to promote even cooking. Place potatoes on microwavable plate and set aside. Cut stems off broccoli and place the remainder in a microwavable plastic baggie with ~1/2 cup of water. Seal the baggie 3/4 shut (to allow some steam to escape) and set aside.

Immediately before cooking: you may want to open some windows/doors because searing the steak in the first 4 minutes can get a little smoky (I found this out the hard way and set off the smoke detector).

*sip wine*

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Step 5

Put the uncovered potato(es) in the microwave and set cook time for 8-10 minutes (more cooked = softer ; 2-3 potatoes will need closer to 10 min). Once half through time (4-5 minutes), use tongs to flip potatoes over and cook for remaining time.

Step 6

Heat an oven-proof stainless steel sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the 1 tbsp of olive oil and let it get hot (shouldn’t take long). Then add the filet and let it cook undisturbed for 4 minutes (use a timer). DO NOT move the filet around in the pan during this time.

*sip wine*

Step 7

After the 4 minutes are up, using a pair of tongs, flip the filet over to the opposite side and IMMEDIATELY transfer the entire sauté pan to your pre-heated oven.

Cook time for ~2-inch thick filet mignon: depending on your preferred level of doneness: 5-6 minutes for rare, 6-7 minutes for medium-rare or 7-8 minutes for medium

Cook time for ~1-inch thick sirloin: depending on your preferred level of doneness: 2-3 minutes for rare, 3-4 minutes for medium-rare or 4-5 minutes for medium

These are just estimates, I would start off on the lower end as you can always cook longer but not the reverse. Don’t forget to flip the potatoes after this.

*sip wine*

Step 8

Carefully remove the pan and use the tongs to place the filet on a clean plate (IMPORTANT NOT TO LEAVE IN PAN AS IT WILL CONTINUE TO COOK), adding any leftover juices if you wish. Place a dollop of butter on top of the steak and tent it with a piece of aluminum foil for 4-5 minutes (the steak will continue to cook a touch).

Step 9

Remove potato from microwave (careful, probably hot) and set aside. Once 4-5 minutes are up from the steak being tented up, place the steak on the plate with potato.

*sip wine*

Step 10

While the steak is tented, put the broccoli with water in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Watch the baggie so it doesn’t explode (again, make sure you have the baggie open slightly to let steam escape). Remove carefully, drain the water from the baggie (I just cut off one corner of the baggie and let drain into sink), and dump broccoli onto plate with steak and potato.

Skál!

Skál is the Icelandic “cheers” ⏤ pronounced “skowl.” Now grab your Diet Coke, refill your glass of wine, and enjoy your steak dinner like the sophisticated (and buzzed) homosapien you are.

If you tried this out and it worked, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below, along with any successful alterations/tweaks and questions.

Enjoy!