Peppercorn Steaks with Whiskey Sauce and Double-Baked Potatoes

This recipe was originally Submitted by Criscodisco on March 26, 2005 and translated by Jpfan01

I just tried this recipe and feel like it needs more love so it's time to get it converted to Goons With Spoons

Ingredients

For the Potatoes

• 6 small russet potatoes
• 5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 12 ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 4 large green onions, chopped
• 6 strips of bacon, cooked crisp
• 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 1/4 cups coarsely grated white cheddar cheese

For the Steaks

• 4 teaspoons four-peppercorn spice mix or whole black peppercorns
• 6 new york strip steaks
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup whiskey, or bourbon if you wish
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 2/3 cup beef stock or canned beef broth

Method for the Double Baked Potatoes

• First off, preheat your oven to 375F, and when it's there, toss your scrubbed potatoes right on the rack, with a couple of holes poked in each one.

• Spend some time measuring out your ingredients. This really does make things much easier. Here are my mushrooms:

• I'm gonna melt 1 tablespoon of my butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and throw them all in. It seems like too much for one skillet, but they shrink pretty quickly.

• Cook them for about 7 minutes, stirring often, until they start to brown a bit and suddenly let out tons of mushroom smell. When that's happened, throw in your green onions. Cook them for about 1 minute, until they wilt.

• Set this aside. When your potatoes have cooked for about 1 hour, until they're tender, take them out. Using an oven mitt to shield your delicate hands, slice each potato in half longways, and lay them out flat side up on a baking sheet.

• Use a spoon and scoop out the delicious potato inside out, and put into a bowl. Don't scoop too much out. You can see where I went too deep on a few.

• In the bowl with your potato guts, mix in your cream cheese, sour cream, and your remaining butter. Take your bacon, that should be cooked until like this;

• and crumble it into your mushroom mixture, and add the potato mixture, and a half a cup of your cheese.

• Mix it well, until it looks like this;

• Scoop that back into the potato skins, making a large mound on top, and cover with your remaining cheese, like this;

• Let them sit for a few minutes.

Method for the Peppercorn Steaks with Whiskey Sauce

• Put your peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, and grind until they have a nice chunky texture. A few whole peppercorns are ok, but not a whole lot.

• Rub your steaks kind of dry, and season them with salt. Sprinkle the peppercorns onto both sides of the steaks, and press in so that they stay.

• Heat your oil in a skillet, and fry about 3 minutes per side for medium rare.

• Put your potatoes back in the oven, and find a saucepan that you don't mind being on fire. Heat your whiskey, or bourbon in it over medium low heat. Once it's putting off a bit of steam, turn off the heat and carefully light it with a match.It's hard to tell in this picture because my flash was so bright, but this is on fire.

• Let it burn for about 30 seconds, and put the lid on the pot to snuff out the fire. After the steaks have finished cooking, add a small bit of your butter in the skillet, and throw your chopped shallots into the steak grease. Shallots are those little red garlic-looking things you see in the grocery, for those who don't know.

• After they've cooked for about 2 minutes on high heat, add your whiskey and beef stock. Bring to a rabid boil, and let reduce by half, about 4 minutes, and then whisk in your remaining butter, 1 tbsp at a time. Turn off heat.

• By now your potatoes should have been in for about 20-25 minutes, take them out, spoon your sauce over your steaks, and serve.