Cooking a whole thick steak on a Tuesday evening always feels like too much work. You have to reverse sear, rest it forever, and worry about getting the center past medium.
Cube the steak instead. When you cut sirloin or ribeye into bite-sized morsels, you get maximum surface area for a deep mahogany sear in exactly four minutes flat.
Baste those charred beef cubes in foaming garlic herb butter with pre-steamed baby potatoes, and you have an entire steakhouse meal in one single cast iron pan.
The Microwave Potato Shortcut
Raw potatoes take 25 minutes to soften in a skillet. We do not have that kind of time after a long workday.
Grab half a pound of baby yukon gold potatoes. Poke each one twice with a fork, drop them in a microwave-safe bowl with a spoonful of water, and cover tightly with a plate.
Nuke on high for 4 minutes until fork-tender. Slice them in half, and toss them into the smoking skillet cut-side down. They develop a glass-like golden crust in under two minutes while absorbing all the rendered beef drippings.
High Heat and Cold Meat
Normally chefs tell you to bring steaks to room temperature. For steak bites, ignore that rule.
Keep the beef chilled right until it hits the screaming hot pan. Cold meat gives you an extra sixty seconds to build an aggressive brown crust without overcooking the inside beyond juicy medium-rare.
Ingredients
- 1.2 lbs (550g) sirloin steak, ribeye, or tenderloin, cut into 1.25-inch cubes
- 1/2 lb baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved (pre-steamed in microwave)
- 1.5 tablespoons avocado oil or high-smoke-point oil
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or thyme, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground coarse black pepper
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley for finishing
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Steam the Potatoes: Poke the whole baby potatoes with a fork. Place in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of water, cover, and microwave on high for 4 minutes until tender. Halve them lengthwise.
- Season the Beef: Pat the chilled steak cubes completely dry with paper towels. Season generously on all sides with kosher salt and coarse black pepper.
- Sear the Potatoes: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Lay the potatoes cut-side down and sear undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes until deeply crisped and golden. Slide them to a plate.
- Flash Sear the Steak: Add remaining half tablespoon of oil to the same scorching skillet. Drop the steak bites in a single spaced layer. Sear hard without moving them for 2 minutes until a deep brown crust forms. Flip and cook 1 minute more.
- Butter & Garlic Baste: Drop burner to medium. Toss the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, chopped garlic, and minced rosemary into the center of the pan. Tilt the skillet and spoon the foaming butter over the beef bites for 45 seconds.
- Toss Together & Plate: Return the crispy potatoes to the pan and toss everything together in the garlic herb butter for 30 seconds. Kill the heat, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve immediately straight from the skillet.
Easy Swaps and Pairings
Don’t have fresh rosemary? Dried Italian herb blend works in a pinch. Just crush it between your palms before dropping it into the butter.
Serve this alongside a crisp side salad or steamed green beans to balance the rich butter bath.
Safi’s Skillet Wisdom
Never crowd the skillet. If you drop too many cold steak cubes into the pan at once, the pan temperature drops, juices leak out, and the meat boils in its own liquid. Cook in two quick batches if your skillet is under 12 inches.