Pan Roasted Steak with Shiitake Stroganoff

Sometimes when there's that nasty polar vortex going on outside, I can't even bring myself to go out on my back patio to grill.

Sacrilege.  I know.

But actually not so bad - NY strip steaks do really well even when pan roasted, especially if you have a grill pan (which I didn't even use here).  I like steak that much.  And you get the bonus that you can make a nice sauce with the browned bits in the pan.

Well, this is not really a sauce, nor a stroganoff really.  Just unctuous shiitake mushrooms and yellow peppers tossed with a bit of sour cream and sherry.  How can't that be delicious on steak?
2 NY strip steaks
10 oz Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 leek, cleaned and diced
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup light cream
1/4 cup cream sherry

Sauté the mushrooms in a large skillet in a bit of olive oil. Heat them over relatively high heat until they release any water they might want to give off, and they brown up nicely, about 10 minutes. Set mushrooms aside in a bowl. In the same skillet, sauté the leek and pepper in a bit of olive oil over medium heat, until the veggies are softened and beginning to color.  Remove the pepper mixture to the mushrooms and keep warm.

Meanwhile, salt and pepper the steaks generously. Heat the same skillet over high heat. Add just a bit of canola oil and place steaks into pan.

Pan roast the steaks for about 3-4 minutes per side, until just medium-rare. Cook a bit longer if you simply must. Set steaks aside on a cutting board and cover for 5 minutes while you finish the veggies.

Add the sherry to the pan in which you cooked the steaks and bring to a boil, scraping up all the nice browned bits. Add the sour cream and cream and stir in the mushrooms and peppers. Leave to simmer while you slice the steak.

Slice the steak on a bias and plate on four plates. Top with the stroganoff-ed mushrooms and pepper.

Serves 4.