Date Night : Coffee-Rubbed Rib Eyes with Beer Battered-Chipotle Onion Rings, Potato Puree, & Balsamic-Red Wine Reduction

Here's another romantic date night with the boyfriend, and we decided to go with the classic steak & potatoes combination, but with a little twist :) We purchased some beautiful thick-cut rib eyes and rubbed them with a chili-coffee seasoning mix. The rub is surprisingly sweet, but so smoky & delicious, which perfectly compliments the fatty rib eye. The seared steak is served on top of a bed of the creamiest potato puree that will surely bust your jeans open... it is just that unbelievably smooth. We topped the sliced rib eyes with huge beer battered-chipotle onion rings that have a nice kick, but aren't too spicy. I mean what is better than some red meat & crispy onions? Nothing, I'm pretty sure. Finally we drizzled the plate with a balsamic-red wine reduction, just for a touch of sweetness, which really brings out the great natural flavor of the steak. I also served our dinner with some easy sauteed garlic haricot verts because you just have to have some kind of greens to make you feel a little bit better about yourself. This is the perfect meal to serve up to a hungry man (especially anyone who can eat like my Mountain Man), he was stuffed to the brim!! Enjoy :)

Coffee-Rubbed Rib Eyes with Beer Battered-Chipotle Onion Rings, Potato Puree, & Balsamic-Red Wine Reduction

If you look very closely, you can see the potato puree peeking out just a bit!

For the Coffee-Rubbed Ribeyes:

¼C Chili Powder

¼C Ground Espresso

2T Paprika

2T Dark Brown Sugar

1T Dry Mustard

1T Salt

1T Pepper

1T Dried Oregano

2t Ground Ginger

2 Ribeyes (2 inches thick & 1 ½lbs each)

Canola Oil & Butter, For Frying

For the Balsamic-Red Wine Reduction:

½C Balsamic Vinegar

½C Red Wine

2-4T Brown Sugar (to taste)

 

For the Tequila Battered Chipotle Onion Rings:

1 Large Vidalia Onion, Cut into ½inch Thick Rings

1C Buttermilk

1C AP Flour

1C Cake Flour

½t Salt

¼t Baking Powder

½C Mexican Beer

2T Tequila

2T Chipotle Adobo Sauce

Cajun Seasoning & Parsley, For Garnishing

    

For the Potato Puree:

2 Large Baking Potatoes, Peeled & Cubed

1 Stick of Butter

4oz Cream Cheese

¼C Sour Cream

¼C Whole Milk

Salt & Pepper, To Taste 

Directions:

1. To Make the Coffee-Rubbed Ribeyes: Combine all of the spices in a bowl. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Preheat a cast iron pan over high heat with canola oil and butter. Brush each side of the steak with oil and season each side liberally with salt and pepper. Rub 2T of the coffee rub onto each side. Cook the steaks on the first side for about 3-4 minutes. Flip the steak over and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer the steaks to a baking sheet and cook in the oven to medium-rare doneness, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
2. For the Balsamic-Red Wine Reduction: In a small sauce pot over medium-high heat, bring the vinegar and wine to a boil. Let it boil for about 5 minutes, and then add the brown sugar. Reduce to a simmer and continue reducing the mixture until it thickens to a syrup, about 5-10 minutes. Set it aside until ready to garnish. 
3. For the Beer Battered-Chipotle Onion Rings: Marinate the onion rings in buttermilk for an hour. Heat the peanut oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees. Once marinated, drain them from the milk and dredge in flour. Shake of excess flour. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add the beer, tequila, and adobo sauce. Whisk until just blended. Dip the dredged onion rings into the batter, shake off the excess, and gently drop them into the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes. Transfer the onion rings to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning. Keep the fried onion rings warm in the oven while you cook your remaining meal. Garnish with chopped parsley.
4. For the Potato Puree: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the whole potatoes and cook over moderate heat until tender, 20 minutes. Drain and wipe out the saucepan. Working with 1 potato at a time, pass the potatoes through a ricer into the saucepan. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, cream cheese, and sour cream in the milk over moderate heat. Gradually whisk the hot milk-cheese mixture into the potatoes and season generously with salt. Cook over moderate heat, whisking, until hot. Serve with the steak.
5. Serving the Steak: Spoon some of the potato puree onto the plate. Place a cooked steak on top of the potatoes. Top with the crispy onion rings and drizzle the reduction around the plate. Serve with sautéed green beans.

Chili Cheese Bacon Burgers with Potato Chip Crusted Onion Rings

Tonight was one of those manly dinners that Clayton looks forward to every week. Since we had some left over chili, we made some Chili-Cheese-Bacon Burgers with Potato Crusted Onion Rings (yes we know, a heart attack between buns). If you happen to live near a Fresh Market, I would definitely recommend their stuffed burgers. Depending on the day, they have all different kinds of burger patties, like portabella-gouda,   bleu cheese, and cheddar-bacon (which is what we chose because we felt that went best with the homemade chili). However, if you don't have a Fresh Market, you can always just top your burger with cheddar cheese and bacon. But this burger is layered with a homemade cajun sauce, an onion ring that holds in the homemade chili, and some chopped raw onion. The onion rings were by far my favorite because by using the crushed up potato chips and panko bread crumbs, you achieve the most amazing crunch. And I highly recommend dipping the onion rings into the Cajun Sauce because it's a perfect combination. Well, enjoy!

Chili Cheese Bacon Burgers with Potato Chip Crusted Onion Rings and Cajun Sauce

For the Cajun Sauce:

½C Mayo

2T Ketchup

2T Horseradish

¼t Paprika

½t Cajun Seasoning

¼t Garlic Powder

¼t Dried Oregano

Dash of Black Pepper

Dash of Cayenne Pepper      

For the Onion Rings:

½C AP Flour

1 Egg

½C Buttermilk

1T Hot Sauce

½t Paprika

1t Cajun Seasoning

¼t Cayenne

¼t Pepper

2C Crushed Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips (Preferably Cape Cod)

1C Panko Breadcrumbs

1 Large Sweet Vidalia Onion, Cut Into Thick Rings

Salt, For Sprinkling

1Q Peanut Oil

For the Burgers:

1 Burger Bun

1 Cheddar-Bacon Burger Patty (or any patty of your choice)

1 Large Onion Ring

¼C Turkey Chili (See Previous Recipe)

2T Cajun Sauce

Chopped Fresh Onion, Optional

Directions:

1.   To Make the Onion Rings: heat your deep fryer to 375 with the peanut oil.  Next you have to set up a battering station. I use 3 pie tins for all of my stations. For the first station, I mix the flour & the seasonings. For the second station, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce. For the third station, pour 2 cups of crushed potato chips and panko breadcrumbs. Dredge each onion ring in the flour, then the buttermilk, and then coat them in the chip-breadcrumb mixture, making sure the onion rings are completely coated. Fry the onion rings in the hot oil for roughly 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Salt them immediately once they are out of the oil.

2.   To Make the Cajun Sauce: whisk together all of these ingredients, then cover and refrigerate until serving time.

3.   To Make the Burger: cook the burger on high heat in a sauté pan with a little bit of oil. Brown each side for about 2 minutes on each side. Next, place an onion ring on top of the cooked burger patty and pour in the cooked chili (this will help the chili from spilling everywhere). Place the burger underneath a broiler to heat the chili and melt the cheese, roughly 2 minutes. Once the burger is done cooking, top with the chopped raw onion and slather the Cajun sauce on both sides of the burger bun. Serve hot with the potato-crusted onion rings and a side of the Cajun Sauce for dipping.

Here is a labeled version of the burger

source: cajun sauce