Weekday Cooking for Uncle Wiggly

I love Meathenge's current Uncle Wiggly contest -- "Version Weekday."  We have a a few standbys for weekday meals when neither of us has the energy for standing at the stove for too long or even for going out.

I'm going to feature two "meals" in this post because, frankly, I couldn't pick between them.

First is a combined dinner of Scramble & Charcuterie -- C usually makes the scramble while I assemble the charcuterie/cheese plate. No further details on this one as I think it's pretty self-explanatory, and completely personalizable to your own taste.

The second is a simple seared Rib-eye Steak for 2 With Smashed Potatoes & Swiss Chard. This dinner takes less than 30 minutes from start to table, and can be made with any steak cut that's about 1" thick.

Start the potatoes first, then the chard and finally the steak. We generally drink this with a quaffable Burgundy or, in the winter, a richer Bordeaux or Cabernet.

Smashed Potatoes

1. Peel and quarter 3 medium thin-skin waxy potatoes (Yukon Gold are perfect). Scrub and quarter an additional 2 potatoes (do not peel these).
2. Put in a glass microwave-safe bowl, drizzle generously with olive oil and a couple tablespoons of milk or half-and-half.
3. Microwave at 70% power for 15 minutes while you're preparing the steak. Cook the potatoes until a knife goes cleanly through, but being careful not to overcook them.
4. Put the pieces in a glass bowl with 2 tbsp butter, 2-3 tbsp yogurt or lebneh, 1/2 c. beef or chicken broth, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder to taste.
5. Smash with a potato smasher or wooden spoon. Season with salt and cracked black pepper, adding more broth or milk as needed.

Swiss Chard

1. Wash & dry one bunch of Swiss chard. Remove the ribs (retain them for use another night), and chop the leaves roughly.
2. Put the chard into a large saute pan or dutch oven with a couple tablespoons of olive oil set over medium-high heat.
3. Once the chard starts to wilt, add two tablespoons of chicken stock (or water), a healthy pinch of salt, and lots of coarse black pepper. Cover and let the chard cook for 10 minutes or so.
4. About 5 minutes before serving, toss in a healthy handful of currants or golden raisins, and cover. The fruit will plump and rehydrate nicely.
5. Stir in a tablespoon of half and half or cream, then serve.

Seared steak for 2

1. Purchase one 1.5lb rib-eye, or two smaller strip steaks
2. Let the meat come to room temperature, then rub both sides with coarse salt, herbes de Provence, and crushed black peppercorns.
3. In a cast iron skillet, or other heavy pan, sear the meat on both sides, then pop it into a 250° oven to gently cook through.