Skirt Steak with Paprika Butter

Since Mr. L and I are huge fans of skirt steak, I'm always looking for simple sauces or seasonings that might go well with it. This recipe came from the January 2010 issue of Food & Wine magazine. The sauce is super simple to make and paired with the skirt steak, makes a very quick but delicious meal on a work night. Besides, I think skirt steak and butter are two of the major food groups right?

We cut the sauce recipe in half for this, even though we barely had two pounds of beef. The little extra sauce we had left worked well over some rice we served with the steak.

I know I've heard from some of you that skirt steak is not that easy to find in certain areas of the country. I'm sure this sauce would work with some other cuts of meat, but since skirt steak is one of the top five meats we prefer (along with aged rib eyes, rack of lamb, prime rib and corned beef) I doubt I'd ever find out! Seriously, if you can find skirt steak in your area, pick some up and give this simple dish a try.

SKIRT STEAK WITH PAPRIKA BUTTER

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked hot paprika
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt
5 pounds skirt steaks
Vegetable oil, for rubbing
Freshly ground pepper

 Light a grill or heat a grill pan. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook over low heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt; keep warm.

Rub the skirt steaks with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until nicely charred and medium-rare, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steaks across the grain. Spoon the paprika butter over the steak and serve right away.

The paprika butter can stand at room temperature for up to 4 hours; reheat the butter gently.

Serves 10

Note: We cut the sauce recipe in half and used it on a bit less than two pounds of skirt steak.

Note: We used a grill pan.

Note: You will notice there are no garlic slivers in the above photo. This batch I made I didn't have any garlic (horrors!) so I used some crushed jarred stuff.

Note: Skirt steak gets really tough if cooked more than medium so do watch to make sure you don't overcook the meat.

We tend to always have a skirt steak in the freezer and the ingredients for the sauce in our pantry so this recipe is one that is a staple for a quick after work dinner.

Comments

[PG]

Looks succulent. Simple and good. I should get a few for the freezer.

[grace]

i really feel like paprika is a woefully underused spice--in fact, i think i really only ever see it sprinkled on deviled eggs! this is a magnificent use for a magnificent spice!