Pan-Seared Steak With Red Wine Sauce
Updated March 30, 2025
Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Kosher salt, as needed
Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
1 ½ pounds boneless steak, or 1 ¾ pounds bone-in steak (1 ½ inches thick)
2 shallots
2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed
2 tablespoons good brandy, preferably Cognac
⅓ cup dry red wine
⅓ cup beef or chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 tablespoon chopped chives
Watercress, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
7 grams carbs; 125 milligrams cholesterol; 523 calories; 15 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 35 grams fat; 2 grams trans fat; 1 gram fiber; 656 milligrams sodium; 36 grams protein; 3 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Generously sprinkle salt and pepper all over steaks, then let steaks rest uncovered for 15 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, mince the shallots.
- Step 2
Melt ½ tablespoon butter and the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add steaks and cook until done to taste, about 3 to 4 minutes per side for rare and a little longer for medium-rare or medium. (Bone-in steaks take a few minutes longer to cook through than boneless.) If the pan begins to smoke or burn, lower the heat. Transfer steaks to a plate to rest while you prepare the sauce.
- Step 3
Add shallots to the skillet and cook over medium heat until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add brandy to the skillet and use a long-handled match or igniter to set the brandy on fire. (Stand back when you do this.) Let flames die out, then add red wine and cook until reduced and syrupy, 2 to 4 minutes. Add stock and boil until reduced and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes longer.
- Step 4
Remove pan from heat and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the chives. Serve steaks and sauce immediately with watercress.
Private Notes
Comments
This is a great steak, but the cook in the video pours cognac directly from the bottle into a hot skillet over a flame. Don't do that. There's a chance, albeit a slim one, that fumes will ignite back to the bottle. In that case, you have a low-grade but dangerous version of a Molotov cocktail. I measure the liquor into a small cup, briefly remove the skillet from the heat, add the alcohol and light it. When the alcohol stops burning, I return the pan to the heat. Best to be safe.
Recipe says mince . . .
I undercooked the steak (by accident). I realized it after the sauce was made when I started to slice the meat. I removed the sauce and put the pieces of sliced steak back in the pan where the sauce had been (without cleaning the pan). It was so good I'll do it that way intentionally next time!
To actually get a FULLY SEARED surface place the well-salted, room temp steak in the smoking hot skillet and press it down with a spatula for 5ish seconds then leave it alone for 3-4 minutes, flip it and repeat. Boneless works better. With bone-in the bone may not be even with so searing boneless works better, and tastes better too.
2 whole shallots seems like a lot for less than a cup of sauce. Anyone?
This made us very happy on a Monday night. Sirloin steak, yes garlic and extra shallots, no cognac, served with broccoli and crusty olive bread to mop up juices.