Lunch: Pan Roasted Skirt Steak with Fingerlings and Ramp Leaves with a Pickle Sauce

Ingredients

2 tablespoons blended oil
1 whole skirt steak, fat trimmed, removed and reserved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 fingerling potatoes, sliced into rings
2 1/2 cups heated chicken stock, plus more as needed
1 habanero, slit cut in the side of the chile
1 dill pickle, chopped, plus 1/2 cup pickle juice
1/4 cup pickled onion slices
3 pickled Fresno chiles, sliced into rings
1/2 cup pickled ramps, sliced
2 oranges, juiced
1 1/2 to 2 cups roughly chopped ramp leaves
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

To a very large cast iron pan over medium heat, add the oil and about 1 cup of the reserved skirt steak fat and render the fat from the skirt steak. Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside. To the heated cast iron pan add the sliced fingerling potatoes, but only to 1/2 of the pan - the other half is reserved for the steak. Season the potatoes with salt, to taste, and allow them to brown on all sides, about 5 to 7 minutes. Once all the fat has been rendered out of the skirt steak fat, remove it from the pan. For the sauce:Add 2 cups chicken stock to a small saucepan. Add the habanero and put the pan over medium heat. Add the pickles, pickled onions, pickled Fresno chiles and the pickled ramps to the pot. Stir in the pickle juice and the orange juice and cook over high heat to reduce. Remove the habanero when spicy enough for your taste. Add the seasoned skirt steak to the cast iron pan in the open space and allow it to sear, for about 2 minutes. Flip and continue to cook to medium-rare. Add the roughly chopped ramp leaves, thyme and butter. Allow the butter to melt and baste the skirt steak. Remove the steak to a cutting board and allow it to rest. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock and deglaze the pan. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the parsley leaves and stir to combine. Cut the steak in half and slice each half against the grain. Put a mound of the potatoes into the middle of each plate. Top with the steak slices and pickles. Drizzle with the sauce and serve.
To make the Pickled Onions:Pack the onions into 2 (1-quart) jars and add enough water to come within 1/2-inch of the rim. Pour the water out into a measuring cup. Note the volume, pour off half of the water and replace it with vinegar. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of salt for every 3 cups of liquid. Pour the vinegar mixture into a nonreactive saucepan, add the mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, garlic, and bay leaves, and bring to a boil over high heat. Allow the liquid to boil for 2 minutes, and then remove it from the heat. Pour the hot liquid into the jars to cover the onions and screw on the lids. Refrigerate for up to 1 month. Yield: about 2 quarts
To make the Pickled Ramps:Combine the vinegar, 2 tablespoons salt, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaf, and jalapeno in a nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for 3 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and let the liquid cool to room temperature. Bring a gallon of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ramps and blanch for 2 minutes, then drain in a colander. Pack the ramps into 2 (1-quart) jars, cover with the cooled pickling liquid to within 1/2-inch of the rim, and screw on the lids. Refrigerate for up to 1 month. Yield: about 2 quarts
To make the Pickled Chiles:Pack the chiles into 2 (1-quart) jars and add enough water to come within 1/2-inch of the rim. Pour the water out into a measuring cup. Note the volume, pour off half the water, and replace it with sherry vinegar. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of salt for every 3 cups of liquid. Pour the vinegar mixture into a nonreactive saucepan and add the bay leaves, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, marjoram, and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Pour the hot liquid into the jars to cover the peppers, and screw on the lids. Refrigerate for up to 1 month. Yield: about 2 quarts