Make this Ribeye Steak with Mashed Potatoes for the most perfect and romantic date night dinner! It’s the best Valentine’s Day meal.

ribeye steak with mashed potatoes and broccolini on a white platter

A Note From Teri

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!

All delicious ribeye starts with high quality meat. If you can, go to your local butcher and get to know them! This meal is the moment to splurge and indulge. Tell them what you are looking for, and let them help you select a fabulous thick cut of bone in ribeye. You’ll be so glad you opted for a butcher instead of the grocery store. 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.

two servings of ribeye on white plates with mashed potatoes and broccolini

How to Cook Ribeye Steak

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.

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.

cooked ribeye on a cutting board

Why Should You Rest Your Steak

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.

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.

ingredients for steak with mashed potatoes on a table with yellow flowers

Ingredients and Variations

  • Unsalted butter
  • Chopped chives
  • Garlic cloves
  • Yukon Gold potatoes
  • Whole milk (or substitute chicken broth)
  • Thick bone-in ribeye
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Beef tallow or extra-virgin olive oil, optional 
  • Broccolini

How to Make Steak with Mashed Potatoes

ribeye steak on a black plate
herbed butter ingredients in small bowls

Step One: Temper Steak and Make Butter

Take the ribeye out of the fridge and  pat the steak dry with a paper towel. Season the steak with salt and pepper on both sides. Let it sit at room temperature for 60 minutes. 

In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, chives, garlic, salt, and pepper together. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200°F.

butter and milk in a pan
mashed potatoes in pan

Step Two: Make Mashed Potatoes

Put the potatoes in a large pot with 2 teaspoons 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. 

While the potatoes are boiling, 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. Turn the heat off and set aside. 

Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the pot. Mash the potatoes with the potato masher and slowly add the hot milk and butter mixture. Add the remaining  ½ teaspoon of salt and the pepper, and stir gently to combine. Although I don’t do this, you can briefly finish the potatoes with an electric mixer for a smooth finish but be careful not to overmix! Add more salt and pepper, to taste.

ribeye steak in a cast iron skillet
broccolini cooking in a pan

Step Three: Make Steak

Cut a piece of fat from the fat cap 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 8-10 minutes. Remove the fat piece and discard.

Increase the heat to medium-high and once the pan is very hot, add the steak. Cook the steak 3-4 minutes per side,  per note below. Holding the steak upright with tongs, sear the edges of the steak,  about 1 minute or less. Remove the steak from the pan and place on a wooden board. Immediately, spread the herbed butter on the steak and loosely cover. Allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.

After setting the steak to rest, add the broccolini to the same pan you cooked the steak in and cook over medium-high for two minutes, flipping as needed. The broccolini will be a vibrant green color and a little charred. Taste and salt if needed.

Slice the steak and serve with the mashed potatoes and your choice of green vegetable, such as broccolini, green beans, or asparagus.

Try These Other Steak Recipes

If you make this Ribeye Steak with Mashed Potatoes, be sure to rate and review the recipe to let me know what you think. If you’re looking for more inspiration, subscribe to my Substack, and follow along on Pinterest,  Instagram, and TikTok to join in all the fun!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
sliced ribeye and mashed potatoes on a red plate

The Perfect Valentine’s Day Ribeye Steak with Creamy Mashed Potatoes

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Teri Turner
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 2 servings
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
Print Recipe

Description

This seared ribeye is perfect for date night or Valentine’s Day or date night any day of the year.

Ingredients

For the Herbed Butter

  •   2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  •   1 tablespoons chopped chives
  •   1 garlic cloves, pressed
  •   Salt and pepper

For the Mashed Potatoes

  •   3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
  •   2 teaspoons + ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  •   ¾ cup whole milk (or substitute ½ cup chicken broth)
  •   1 stick unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons (optional for serving)
  •   ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Steak

  •   1 ½-inch thick bone-in ribeye, about 1 ½ pounds, with a fat cap if possible
  •   1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt 
  •   ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  •   Beef tallow or extra-virgin olive oil, optional 
  •   8 ounces broccolini, trimmed but intact

Instructions

  1. Take the ribeye out of the fridge and  pat the steak dry with a paper towel. Season the steak with salt and pepper on both sides. Let it sit at room temperature for 60 minutes. 
  2. Make the Herbed Butter: In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, chives, garlic, salt, and pepper together. Set aside.
  3. Make the Mashed Potatoes: Preheat the oven to 200°F.
  4. Put the potatoes in a large pot with 2 teaspoons 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. 
  5. While the potatoes are boiling, 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. Turn the heat off and set aside. 
  6. Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the pot. Mash the potatoes with the potato masher and slowly add the hot milk and butter mixture. Add the remaining  ½ teaspoon of salt and the pepper, and stir gently to combine. Although I don’t do this, you can briefly finish the potatoes with an electric mixer for a smooth finish but be careful not to overmix! The potatoes can easily become gummy.  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 warm oven until serving.
  7. Make the Steak: If you have a nice fat cap, use this to cook the steak in. Cut a piece of fat from the fat cap 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 8-10 minutes. Remove the fat piece and discard. If you don’t have fat from the steak, you can use 1 ½ tablespoons beef tallow or 2 tablespoons of olive oil to grease the pan. 
  8. Increase the heat to medium-high and once the pan is very hot, add the steak. Cook the steak 3-4 minutes per side,  per note below. Holding the steak upright with tongs, sear the edges of the steak,  about 1 minute or less.
  9. NOTE: For a steak that’s 1 ½-inches thick, 4 minutes per side will get you to medium-rare. Most steaks are cut 1-inch thick unless you make a special request. For steaks 1-inch thick,  3 minutes per side is usually medium-rare. If your ribeye still feels too rare for your taste after 4 minutes, cook it another minute. .
  10. Remove the steak from the pan and place on a wooden board. Immediately, spread the herbed butter on the steak and loosely cover. Allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.
  11. After setting the steak to rest, add the broccolini to the same pan you cooked the steak in and cook over medium-high for two minutes, flipping as needed. The broccolini will be a vibrant green color and a little charred. Taste and salt if needed but there should be enough salt in the pan that you shouldn’t need much additional salt if any. 
  12. Slice the steak and serve with the mashed potatoes and your choice of green vegetable, such as broccolini, green beans, or asparagus.

Notes

To test the doneness of your steak, check out my favorite trick here.