Warm Steak Salad with Browned Butter Mushrooms topped with a Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette

This last weekend was full of fun but exhausting...I need to remember to balance my time better and give myself some time to rest.  Friday evening I met up with a friend I hadn't seen in way too long and had a fun time watching the Blazer game and eating very tasty chicken wings at NePo42.  This is a great place for happy hour and will always have some die hard Blazer fans.  Then Saturday  included brunch with more friends, major house cleaning, and having friends over for a lovely dinner.  And we all know what Sunday consisted of, delicious food and football.  Now if that wasn't enough activity last night (which I could not pass up) my good friend Val brought me to what is known as PlayerPalooza, it is an event for Blazer season ticket holders where they served us dinner, had games to play, gave out free things, all while hanging out with the Blazer players!  We got to see all the players and I have some not so great pictures, but one picture did turn out.  Below is a picture of me with Allen Crabbe.  Speaking of Allen Crabbe if you want a fun Twitter feed to follow check out Crabbe People.  Onto the food, I made adapted this salad and vinaigrette, it turned out delicious.

Serves 2

The Ingredients

For Salad:
12 oz steak (a tender cut)
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz baby bella mushrooms
5 tbsp butter
12 fresh sage leaves, chopped
4 cups fresh baby spinach
additional salt and pepper, if desired

For Vinaigrette:
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 heaping teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste


The Process

1.  In a container with a tight lid, preferably a glass jar, combine shallot, vinegar and mustard. Close tightly and shake well to mix. Add salt and pepper, and shake again.

2.  Add olive oil 1/3 cup at a time, shaking very well after each addition, until smooth and emulsified. Taste and add more olive oil, 1/4 cup at a time, if dressing is too tart.  Use immediately or refrigerate up to 3 weeks. The chilled olive oil will form a lump, so remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before using to allow it to liquefy. Shake well before serving to re-emulsify.

3.  Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper, and grill or broil to desired doneness (medium or medium-rare).  Slice steak thinly across the grain.

4.  In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and cook until it is just beginning to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add mushrooms and sage, and saute until fragrant and sage is crispy, 4 minutes more.

5.  Divide spinach between 2 large plates and arrange sliced steak over top.
Pour mushrooms over each and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour mustard-shallot vinaigrette over salad and serve immediately.