A Case of The Mondays....

Sometimes, when a Monday has been especially long and grueling, you need to come home and make a recipe that calls for Merlot.
This turned out especially well. I served it with mashed red potatoes that I made with green onions, garlic, and plain non-fat yogurt. It was so good that Al actually cleaned his plate. That's really the test of a recipe...the "Al Clean Plate Test." You would think that he would clean his plate every time I cooked, considering that before me he subsisted completely off Lean Cuisines and frozen burritos, but no.

Steak with Shallot-Merlot Sauce (Bon Appetit, Nov. 1996)

1 12-14oz. Steak
1 Tbsp. Olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp. finely chopped shallots
6 tbsp. Merlot
3/4 cup beef stock or canned broth
3 tbsp. unsalted butter (I only used 1 tbsp.)

Salt and pepper steak. Heat oil in large skillet on high heat. Add steak and cook until brown on each side. Reduce heat and cook stead to desired doneness. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
Add shallots to same skillet and saute over medium heat about 1 minute. Add Merlot and boil until reduced by half. Add stock and boil until syrupy; about 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut steak into strips. Spoon sauce over and serve.