Date Night...at Home

Friday nights are “officially” our Date Nights. That doesn’t always mean we have to go out and spend lots of money on a nice dinner. Sometimes we decide to stay home and have a rather inexpensive one. 

But cheap doesn’t mean tasteless. 

Here’s a tasty steak dinner you can make for a fraction of the price it’d cost you at any steak restaurant in town…and it’s for TWO!

Start with two good-sized sirloin steaks and the following (for marinating):

• 4 cloves garlic – 2 chopped, 2 whole and peeled
• 1 large sprig of rosemary, chopped (or used dried rosemary, about 2 tsp)
• EVOO

Cover bottom of plate/dish with olive oil. Place steaks in dish and salt and pepper both sides, coating them in the olive oil. Sprinkle chopped garlic and rosemary on top of and around steaks. Place whole garlic in dish next to steaks. Cover and refrigerate.

After a couple hours of marinating, get the grill (or cast iron grill pan, stovetop style) nice and hot. Sear steaks for about 6 minutes on each side (only turn ‘em once)—this gave me a nice medium-rare temp inside with a crisp outer sear. (If using pan on stovetop, place the whole cloves of garlic in the pan while steaks are cooking.)

For one of the side dishes, I prepared Onion-Roasted Potatoes. I found this handy-dandy recipe on the back of the Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix box! Here’s how I made it to serve two:

• 1 envelope Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix
• 2 small-to-medium potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
• ¼ cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425°. In a large roasting pan, combine all ingredients. Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring frequently. Potatoes will be nicely golden when done.

 For the other side, I made sweet glazed carrots. Here’s a quick recipe for two:

• 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup crinkle-cut frozen carrots

Combine brown sugar, butter, carrots, and just enough water to cover the carrots in a medium sauce pot. Place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and continue cooking for 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to serve; use remaining liquid to pour over carrots if desired.