what sides would you serve with steak?

[DrPizza]

Salad. Good salads, prepared a little ahead of time with an eye for presentation. So, in addition to some good leafy greens (no iceburg), perhaps the nicest looking strawberries you can find, sliced and arranged nicely on the salad, served with a vinaigrette dressing

Potato: personal preference, and depends a bit on how the steak comes out. Putting the steak on a bed of hand cut, twice fried french fries, yum.
Or, for baked potato: get extra large potatoes for baking & bake them long before the steak goes in. Then, slice them in half the long way, and while the steak is resting, dip it in the grease from the steak & toss them under high heat for a couple minutes (broiler).

Vegetables: something that complements the steak & also adds color to the dish. Perhaps beans, quickly stir fried with some almonds. Somehow, I'm thinking of also getting some yellows or reds onto the plate. Even though steak + baked potato is awesome flavors, it's not as visually appealing since everything is brown.

 

[Nintendesert]

He doesn't want beans! He wants to get laid not have a farting contest.


That's why sweet potato though, bake it without puncturing the skin and the skin peels off revealing a nice orange color. Brush a little honey on top and it's a good semi-sweet side.

 

[jaedaliu]

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/green-beans-with-cherry-tomatoes/

I do this recipe without the basil. Guess I could try it with basil, but it's darn good.

 

[Pantoot]

Salad. (no iceburg)

I will go the opposite direction and say only iceburg.

A wedge salad goes so well with ribeyes. Cut a chunk of iceburg, cook some bacon, a couple tomatoes, black pepper, blue cheese dressing and a little balsamic vinegar...easy.

 

[SandEagle]

I will go the opposite direction and say only iceburg.

A wedge salad goes so well with ribeyes. Cut a chunk of iceburg, cook some bacon, a couple tomatoes, black pepper, blue cheese dressing and a little balsamic vinegar...easy.

i gave up on iceburg lettuce after reading about how little nutritonal value it has. rommaine lettuce is where its at these days. mmm.

 

[Gibsons]

Asparagus, roasted in the oven

 

[Sho'Nuff]

beloved patriot potatoes go great with steak

This. Cut up beloved patriot potatoes into 1" pieces. Put them in a plastic bag with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, basil, thyme, a hint of cayenne, and some balck pepper, and marinate for at least an hour. Roast for ~25-35 minutes at 400 degrees and serve.

If you want to make it more healthy, add some bell peppers and onion to the mix.

 

[CurseTheSky]

One starch / carb, and one vegetable. Pick one from each list and it should go over well.

Baked potato, mashed potatoes, home fries, some kind of egg noodles, sweet potato, pierogies, bread, etc.

Broccoli, asparagus, carrots, garden salad, zucchini, squash, green beans, corn, etc.

 

[Fritzo]

i gave up on iceburg lettuce after reading about how little nutritonal value it has. rommaine lettuce is where its at these days. mmm.

Romaine is my favorite too, and there's actually less waste and it's easier to process. Just to straight chops down to the stem and you're done

 

[Williz]

More steak.

 

[nageov3t]

fry and crumble up a couple strips of bacon in a pan. Add in a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar. A tablespoon of dijon mustard. Tablespoon of sugar. Stir. Now toss in a giant pile of de-stemmed spinach and stir it around. Let it lightly wilt and top with a sliced hard boiled egg or crumbled feta. Yum!

Also can't go wrong with garlic bread for some starchy side for the steak.

that sounds really good :thumbsup:

I'm a little leery of potatoes because I don't want the meal to be too heavy, but fresh bread sounds like it could be a happy-medium.

 

[UnklSnappy]

Salt potatoes and salad.

 

[Phoenix86]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/...amelized-onions-and-almonds-recipe/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/twice-baked-potatoes-recipe/index.html

 

[Apple Of Sodom]

Garlic mashed potatoes are easy. Use red potatoes and don't even peel them.

Stuffed mushrooms are super easy to do as well.

If you want to stay super simple you could just do mushrooms in butter and garlic and bake them. They come out pretty tasty and takes nearly zero prep.

Edit:
Another one of my favorites is broccoli and bacon. Cut several strips of bacon into small pieces and cook. Drain grease. Through in some broccoli and cook until tender. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. This also works well with yellow squash.

 

[ElFenix]

stuff is better when its in season. asparagus might be getting into season by then.

i'd do wedge with romaine (throw it on a hot cast iron pan for a little bit for a slight char) and make serious eats 'hasselback' potato gratin
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/12/hasselback-potato-gratin-casserole-holiday-food-lab.html

 

[LagunaX]

Olive oil roasted Brussel Sprouts and Truffle Oil/Bacon drizzled Mac-n-Cheese.

 

[WelshBloke]

Potato lyonnaise.
Garlic sauteed green beans.
Bowl of mixed green salad.

 

[vi edit]

Another one that is a hit in my house are the really thin string green beans lightly steamed so that they still have a good "crunch" to them. Sautee up some onions and then toss those in the green beans, add a very light dab of Szechuan stir fry sauce and a dash of water. Coat everything then add mustard seeds.

Those get destroyed when I make them.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Keep it simple. Two things to NOT do are to try a new food and a new technique at the same time. I'd say that holds true almost always even for expert cooks.

The steaks are a good idea. You might consider using a compound butter to baste them for even better flavor.

Roasted asparagus or roasted brussels sprouts

Roasting vegetables is a basic technique you should learn.


For a complementary starch I'd suggest roasted potatoes with rosemary or thyme

I prefer thyme, but rosemary works well. Just don't use too much and overpower the dish.

Since this is to be a special meal I suggest you read up a bit about the techniques and try them yourself before letting them loose on her

Do yourself an enormous favor and get a little notebook, a sort of kitchen vade mecum, and record details. I cannot emphasize this too strongly for people who seriously wish to improve their cooking skills in a positive and efficient way. There is virtually no one who can start on something new in the kitchen and reproduce it months later. You simply will not. Besides that a goal is not to just make something, but embark on a process of continual improvement and you need to think about the product you've created, and the time to reason out your approach in a cogent fashion is NOT while you are busy doing other things or have just finished eating.

Record temperature, time, the position of the oven rack, volume, the pan type, a detailed PIA list for your first attempts. I guarantee that if you do this you will thank me later. Hit and miss is not an acceptable standard of quality.

After your trial meal record your impressions. Over or undercooked? Too salty? Not browned enough? Burned or sticking food? What strikes you as good and bad qualities of the dish.

Later you can reflect and investigate solutions and perhaps alterations which suit your tastes and kitchen.

Put some effort into food up front and the rewards will go beyond Valentines Day.

 

[iRONic]

Small baby greens salad
Shrimp cocktail
Rib eye w/sauteed mushrooms & onions
String beans

 

[MarkXIX]

Broccoli makes you fart, so ymmv.

I always liked salad or shimp with my steak.

Otherwise, asparagus or anything else that's green, really. Green beans, etc.

And, of course, some kind of potato.

NO! Broccoli and asparagus both will make things "unpleasant" should the common V-day activities follow dinner.

Perhaps a nice, leafy green salad with a dressing that does NOT have a heavy garlic element to it.

I would also recommend the fresh green beans (NOT canned) with cherry tomatoes or maybe some bacon and toasted, slivered almonds in lieu of a salad as well.

Stay far away from the broccoli, asparagus, or brussel sprouts as they all have potential "smell" issues as part of the digestive process.

 

[Krazy4Real]

asparagus and a baked potato.

 

[waggy]

baked potato is what i always serve or stuffing (yeah odd i know. but i love stuffing with a steak or some bread)

hmm baked potato..i love them. but i can never get them just right.

 

[Scarpozzi]

It's best with vegetables like baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and green beans...like half runners. I sometimes will take aluminum foil and make a rectangular dish out of it....then grill asparagus with butter & kosher salt. I use tongs to move the asparagus around and make sure its well coated with butter...

You can always add biscuits, mac & cheese, and collard greens to the mix.

 

[smackababy]

I'd probably do something light if I planned on dessert. Possibly just a few asparagus spears and a small salad.