Pan-Seared Fillet Mignon Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce
How do you cook steak without a grill? You can pan sear it on the stove top and then finish it under the broiler in the oven. Just like in this recipe: Pan-Seared Fillet Mignon Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce.
Make sure steaks reach room temperature before you cook them. Never cook a cold steak. That means if you kept them in the refrigerator, they have to be out at room temperature for an hour before cooking.
Heat an oven-proof skillet (cast iron or stainless steel) until very hot. Do not use non-stick pans. Preheat oven to 500 F (broil).
Season steaks generously with salt, pepper, brush with oil on both sides.
When the skillet is hot enough, add steaks. Do not add olive oil to the pan – olive oil should only be brushed on steaks. Cook steak on one side for 3 minutes. Do not move the steak because the crust is forming. Steak should sizzle, and a nice caramelized brown crust should form.
Turn the steak over to the other side and immediately put the oven-proof skillet with steaks in the oven under the broiler. Broil for about 4 minutes for rare to medium-rare. Check the steak half-way to make sure you don’t overcook it. Depending on the thickness of the cut, it could take just 2 minutes to reach medium rare (or 135 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit temperature inside the steak). My steak was 2″ thick, so I kept it under the broiler for 4 minutes. In general, for any cuts which are 1.5″ thick or more, this is a good method. For any thinner steak, you might broil for shorter time.
Remove the steak from the oven (using oven-safe gloves, of course, to protect your hands), cover loosely with foil and let them sit for 10 minutes, covered. They will continue cooking and the juices will distribute nicely.