The Perfect Valentine’s Ribeye with Mashed Potatoes
If you know me, you know there’s almost nothing more romantic than a candlelit dinner with a perfectly cooked ribeye and mashed potatoes. Lucky for me, Roy feels very similarly. We love making an indulgent, buttery dinner at the cabin for a date night in. I’m going to teach you a simple but delicious way to prepare a ribeye. It’s the perfect dish for Valentine’s Day!
How to Prepare Your Date Night Ribeye
All delicious ribeye starts with high quality meat. If you can, go to your local butcher and get to know them! Tell them what you are looking for, and let them help you select a fabulous cut of ribeye. Trust me, people, it pays to be friends with people like your butcher and your farmer. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! The finished product on your table will taste so much better if you do.
Once you have your fabulous ribeye, the very first step is to take it out of the fridge and leave it be! The best cooked steak is cooked from room temperature. This makes sure the whole cut cooks evenly and beautifully.
With a luscious cut like a ribeye, you don’t need a whole lot of seasoning. My philosophy is if you’ve got a fabulous piece of meat, let it shine. So for seasoning, just go with a generous amount of salt and a sprinkle of pepper.
How to Cook Your Ribeye
A ribeye has more fat than other cuts of beef, so I always start with rendering the fat. You can cut off some of the fat and render it for ten minutes in your cast iron to get the most fat in the pan. For a quick shortcut, you can keep the meat together and just start with the fatty side of the meat and allow it to render for a minute or so before cooking the meat itself.
Once you have your fat rendered in the pan, cook your steak on high for about three minutes a side for medium rare. Be sure to watch closely while cooking. Follow your instincts as needed to avoid burning if your pan is hotter or your stove is more powerful.
After the ribeye is done cooking, you need to let it rest for about ten minutes. While you might be tempted to cut into it right away, resting is the key to a flavorful and juicy steak. Cutting into it immediately will result in the juices going everywhere (except in your bite of steak!). Let it rest before slicing, and I promise you’ll thank me later.
How to Serve Your Ribeye
Since we are serving this ribeye for date night, we went with mashed potatoes on the side (recipe below). You can mix it up with whatever starch and vegetables you’d like! Broccolini, salad, spinach, fries, and roasted potatoes would all be delicious with your ribeye.
So if you haven’t already, go grab a beautiful ribeye right away to get cooking for Valentine’s Day! Once you make it, be sure you rate and review it below. If you’re looking for more inspiration, sign up for our Friday Favorites newsletter, and follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok to join in all the fun!
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The Perfect Valentine’s Day Ribeye with Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
Description
This seared ribeye is perfect for date night or Valentine’s Day. It’s simple but absolutely luscious and delicious.
Ingredients
For the herbed butter (optional)
½ stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 to 2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chives
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Mashed Potatoes [may need more salt]
3 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
2 tablespoons + 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
¾ cup whole milk (or substitute ½ cup chicken broth)
1 stick unsalted butter, plus 4 tablespoons (optional for serving)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Steak
1 (1.35 lbs.) Bone-In Ribeye
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, optional
Instructions
Make the Herbed Butter
In a small bowl, add the softened butter, garlic, parsley, chives, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined. Spoon the butter onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a log, wrapping the plastic over the log then twisting the ends to seal the edges and compact the butter. Place in the fridge to set and cool until firm, for about 30 minutes.
Make the Mashed Potatoes:
Preheat oven to 200°F.
Put the potatoes in a large pot with 1 tablespoon of salt and cover them with cold water. Over high heat, bring the potatoes to a boil, then reduce heat to medium or medium low, partially cover and continue to cook until tender when poked with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain in a colander and return to the pan.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk (or chicken broth) and butter, stirring until the stick of butter is melted, but the milk is not boiling.
Mash the potatoes with the potato masher and slowly add the hot milk and butter mixture. Add the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, the pepper and stir gently to combine. Finish off by mixing briefly with an electric mixer until smooth. Add more salt and pepper, to taste. If desired, add an additional 4 tablespoons of butter to the potatoes, allow it to melt and then fold it in.
Cover and place them in the oven to keep warm until serving.
Make the Steak
Remove steak from the fridge and allow it come to room temperature, about 60 minutes. Using a paper towel, pat the steak dry. Season the steak with salt and pepper on both sides. Cut a piece of fat from the side and place in the pan over medium heat. Let the fat render and release its oil, moving it around the pan, using tongs, for about 10 minutes. Remove the burned fat piece. (If preferred, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in lieu of the fat.) Increase the heat to high, and once the pan is very hot add the steak. Cook the steak 3 to 4 minutes per side. Holding the steak upright with tongs, sear the edges of the steak, about 1 minute or less.
NOTE: 3 minutes per side is usually rare and 4 minutes per side is usually medium.
Remove the steak from the pan and place on a wooden board. Put a few slices of the herbed butter on top. Allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.
Slice the steak and serve with the mashed potatoes and your choice of green vegetable, such as broccolini, green beans, or asparagus. Serve with more herbed butter and enjoy!
Notes
To test the doneness of your steak, check out my favorite trick here.