This is my take on the Tree Room’s Pepper Steak. We’ve had the steak there many times and have watched it change over the years with each chef, both for the better and worse. It’s really fairly simple and comes together pretty quick. In all likelihood it will eventually be gone from the menu now that the Redford’s no longer own the resort and it was the one item he didn’t allow them to remove from the menu. We heard over and over how much the chef’s hated making the dish because it was the most popular and they didn’t really have much input into the dish. But it really is the best dish and there is a reason everyone always ordered it. We’d try each chef’s offerings, but the pepper steak always ended up as our go-to.
Ingredients
- 1 Ea Filet Mignon 1-2"
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Cracked Pepper
- 1-2 Tablespoon Mango Chutney (See Recipe for Mango Chutney)
- 1/2-1 Cup Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes (See Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes Recipe)
- 1 Bunch Spinach (Baby or regular)
- 1/2 teaspoon Vinegar
- 1 Ea Carrot (Optional, not part of the tree room's meal, but I like the addition.)
Instructions
- We prepare the mango chutney alone and freeze portions for meals.
- With the mango chutney premade and frozen in portioned bags. The real start is get a pot boiling while peeling potatoes and carrots. If I'm wanting to be fancy I'll get the multi color carrots that are smaller. If using regular carrots, I'll cut them in half and quarters. Potatoes get cubed to about 2" to cook faster.
- Place potatoes in boiling pot, place carrots on top since they will be removed with tongs well before potatoes. Cook carrots for about 5 minutes and remove and set aside in a clean bowl. This bowl will be used to keep steaks and carrots later while plating the meal.
- Prepare steaks by coating heavily with pepper on all surfaces along with a fair amount of salt. The thicker the steak, the more salt. set oven to 300 F. Get oven-safe pan, I use either cast-iron or stainless steel, add about a teaspoon of oil per steak and get pan ripping hot over the range. When oil just starts to smoke, put steak in pan. Add Carrots around steak. Sear steak for about 2 minutes per side, if thicker, I'll sear sides, if thinner, I'll just sear the biggest surfaces. Place pan in oven with meat Thermometer inserted with cord or cordless that allows you to monitor the temp.
- While steak is in oven, pull the potatoes out of water with tongs or slotted spoon. and make the buttermilk mashed potatoes. It's dead simple. A little buttermilk, a little butter, salt and pepper.
- Place frozen chutney bag into hot potato water. This will warm it up quick without much mess.
- When steaks reach 135 to 140, for about medium-rare to medium, remove from oven and place carrots and steaks into bowl from earlier.
- In the pan used for the steaks, add the spinach with about a teaspoon of water and the vinegar. Add a bit of salt and sautee the spinach till it wilts.
- To Plate, place potatoes on plate, add a layer of spinach, then place the steak on top, and top with mango chutney. I like to go heavy, while my boys just like a layer over the steak. Then make sure to mix the carrots in the resting juices and plate alongside steak. Can drizzle a little mango chutney around plate for presentation. Overall pretty quick and fancy.
