Sirloin Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce

When done well, steak doesn't often need any adornment for it to taste great. However it's a lot of fun to try different sauces on top to heighten the flavor even more. We all know A1 steak sauce, garlic butter, and bearnaise, but have you ever thought of a whiskey cream sauce? Me neither, but I knew I just had to try it.

This recipe comes courtesy of Ree Drummond (aka the Pioneer Woman) and her first cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl. I love her books because they're easy to follow and there's a picture to correlate with each step so you have some idea of what your food should look like instead of cooking blind.

You will need:

5 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of diced onion
Sliced baby bella mushrooms (these were my addition because I really love them)
1/4 cup of whiskey (I used Jameson)
1/4 cup of beef stock or broth
Dash of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup of light cream
2 sirloin steaks

To start, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a small skillet. Throw in the onions and mushrooms and cook until they're brown, approximately 4 minutes.

Once the onion is browned turn off the heat, wait a minute or two, then dump in the whiskey. She stresses the importance of turning off the burner so you don't set yourself or your kitchen on fire.

Immediately after the whiskey has evaporated, turn the burner on medium and pour in the beef broth. Add salt and pepper, then whisk in another tablespoon of butter (this is definitely not a clean-eating recipe if you hadn't guessed already). Let the mixture simmer for 30 seconds, then reduce the heat to low.

Pour in the cream, whisk, and add more if the mixture doesn't seem thick enough. Let it simmer on low heat while you cook your steaks.

I used sirloin but you can use any steak you like. Season well with salt and pepper and sear on the stovetop until desired doneness. Then drench in the delicious creamy sauce!

When I put this in front of the fiance while I finished dishing up mine, I heard a "babe this is damn good" from the living room. Success! The sauce has a hint of whiskey without being overpowering and would be just as good over chicken as it was over the steak.

Naturally when you think of sides dishes you think steak and potatoes so that's what I opted to serve it with. I used golden fingerling potatoes, available at any grocery store.

Simply whisk together 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 5 minced cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of dried or fresh flat-leaf parsley, and salt and pepper. Mix in the potatoes, then spread on a large baking sheet and roast at 450 for approximately 30-35 minutes.

These came out fork tender and were delicious! The skin had gotten slightly crispy and I really liked the seasoning.