Fall weather fare

I'm on the grass-fed bandwagon. While the butcher could likely have done a better job preparing this cut (Not that I'd pay a price like this for a better trim job--the linked place's recommended recipe is nearly identical to the one I used. Good to see they would have approved.), the taste was great. I made sure to try some of the meat before the herby butter started commingling with the juices--it was some of the best flavored beef I've had. The flavor was clean and somewhat subtle, and the texture, aside from a thin line of gristle running through the steak, was chewy but in no way tough. This grass-fed beef doesn't require an acquired taste, it was just a great steak.

The compound butter was made with help from Google and James Peterson's Sauces. Because I grilled the steak a pan sauce wasn't really an option. After making this, I think I'll be using a lot more of these butters.

Also on the plate was most of a small, roasted butternut squash. It doesn't get much more fall than a grilled steak and winter squash.

Steak
Ingredients:
- Steak for grilling (A strip steak would have worked, same with a rib eye. Even though the flat iron is often compared to skirt and flank steaks, I don't think they are as good to serve/eat as a whole steak. If I were making tacos or a steak salad, I'd reach for the skirt or flank.)
- Olive oil, extra virgin
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Get grill going
- Have steak dry and at room temperature
- Lightly coat steak with olive oil, and apply some salt and pepper
- Grill to taste and let rest

Squash
Ingredients:
- Butternut squash, halved, with some light slashes on skin side (seeds scooped out with a spoon*)
- Olive oil, extra virgin
- Salt and pepper (Is there a pattern here?)
- Butter
Method:
- Preheat oven between 425 and 450
- Rub squash halves with olive oil, and apply salt and pepper
- Place squash flat side up on a sheet of aluminum foil in the oven
- Cook until squash is soft when pierced with a fork or knife
- Remove from oven and scoop squash innards into a bowl
- Mash squash with a fork, and add salt and pepper and a small piece of butter
- Cover bowl to keep warm

Butter
Ingredients:
- Butter, unsalted and at room temperature
- Herbs, fresh (I used tarragon, chives, and parsley)
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Blanch herbs in boiling salted water for about a minute
- Drain water and cool the herbs down with cold water
- Dry herbs as best you can and mince (if using the same herbs, omit the tarragon and parsley stems)
- Lay minced herbs out on a paper towel to dry further
- Mash butter in bowl (two forks work well)
- Add herbs, salt, and pepper, all to taste, to mashed butter
- When butter mixture is mixed will, place the blob on a piece of plastic wrap
- Use wrap to form a log of the butter--like a sausage
- Place log in fridge to reharden (the freezer works if you're in a rush)
- Slice as necessary

That's all there is to it. It's all pretty simple and the compound butter is great. There's another piece of the flat iron waiting, and some left over butter. All that's needed is a nice baguette and it should be one of the best steak sandwiches ever.

*Save the seeds for roasting.

And yes, that is a big pat of butter. I ate it all too, and it was good.