wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 10 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time.
The wikiHow Culinary Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work.
This article has been viewed 65,313 times.
Learn more...
When times are tough and your wallet is more than stretched, it's easy to resort to boxes of macaroni and cheese or hamburger helper (just to get some iron in). However, you don't have to ruin your taste buds with cheap meals and heavy preservatives, just because you don't have much cash to spare. You can still eat your favorite dish from being creative. Steak and mashed potatoes don't have to be a complicated recipe, or an expensive one--despite any preconceived notions you may have. It's can be easy and affordable if you want to make it that way. You can also add in vegetables to the recipe and make the meal in ten minutes, all for the cost of $4.
Ingredients
- 8 ounce top loin steak
- 1/4 cup broccoli
- 1/4 cup squash
- 1/4 cup cauliflower
- 1/4 cup carrots
- 1 potato
- 1/4 cup milk
- Butter
- Salt
- Chopped parsley (optional)
Steps
-
1Purchase an 8 oz. top loin steak. This is probably the best value for the type and quality of meat it is. This type of meat will run about $1.50 or $2.00 a pound.
-
2Boil the vegetables. These vegetables will run you about a dollar, max.Advertisement
-
3Make the mashed potatoes with one potato and oil, 1/4 cup of milk, butter, salt, and pepper while you boil the vegetables. Begin by boiling two pots of water and pour one sliced potato into the boiling water. One bag of potatoes runs around $3.00, so one potato will cost about 25 cents, which is cheap for something that is really tasteful and filling.
- You can use half of a red and half of a russet potato to create a better texture for the final product.
- Allow it to boil and turn it down to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Poke it with a fork to ensure it's done boiling--if the fork goes through easily then it's time to take it out!
- Drain the potato and add in milk, butter, salt and pepper. You can now begin to mash them!
- You can use half of a red and half of a russet potato to create a better texture for the final product.
-
4Keep mashing them to get out all of the lumps.
-
5Add in chopped parsley for even more flavor.
-
6Boil the vegetables for 4-8 minutes, depending on how you want it to taste.
- Don't leave the vegetables in for longer than eight minutes if you want to avoid the vegetables from becoming too mushy. The longer you boil the vegetables, the softer they will be.
-
7Prepare your steak.
- Take a little salt and pepper and sprinkle it onto the steak.
- Rub it into the meat to ensure better flavor. You can then flip the steak over and do the same thing to the other side.
-
8Get your pan ready and pour a little oil in. Then set your heat to high. The best way to cook steak is to sear it and seal in that flavor because you want all of the juices to stay in there. If you flip it more than once than all of the juice will come out and it will end up being a really dry steak.
-
9Add the steak. When the oil beings to pop it means it's time to put your steak on the pan. You'll be able to hear it sizzle.
- To handle your meat, use a pair of tongs because if you pierce it with a fork the juices will be able to escape. One of the best tips to making a good steak is to keep all of the flavors locked in.
-
10Test the steak by touching it.
- The best way to know how firm your steak should be is to touch your index finger and thumb together and to feel the firmness of your thumb mussel (right below your thumb). This would be the firmness needed for a rare steak.
- Touch your thumb to your middle finger and test out the firmness of your thumb muscle to determine what a medium-rare steak should feel like.
- Now touch your thumb to your ring finger and that's a medium steak.
- If you put your thumb to your pinky finger you'll feel how a well-done steak should feel like.
-
11Have your steak cook for a while and be patient for a few minutes. Don't give in to the alluring temptation and take it off too soon--allow the juices to sizzle and give the meat more flavor.
-
12Add other meat spices to the steak to give it more flavor. Try a little bit of garlic powder, onion powder, and/or crushed red chilli
Warnings
- This meal will feed only one person, multiply the ingredients depending on how many people are eating it.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Closely monitor the boiling water to ensure it doesn't boil over. Never leave your cooking unattended.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Properly wash all of your vegetables with a vegetable brush before using them, even if you plan on peeling them. To remove all pesticides use certain soaps to lift all chemicals.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Make sure you use vegetables that have no expired or are not ripe enough.⧼thumbs_response⧽
About This Article
To make a steak and potato dinner on a budget, first purchase an 8 oz. top loin steak. Rub both sides of your steak with salt and pepper. You can also add garlic powder, onion powder, or crushed red chili if you’d like. Heat a pan over high heat and add a little oil. When the oil begins to pop, carefully add your steak to the pan with tongs. You should hear it sizzle. Let the steaks cook for 3 minutes and then flip them over to cook for an additional 3-4 minutes on the other side for medium rare. If you like your steak more cooked, continue cooking until it reaches your desired doneness, flipping every 2 minutes. Once your steaks are done, pull them off the heat and allow them to rest. Next, bring two pots of water to a boil. Once the water reaches a boil, add your sliced potatoes to one pot and allow them to simmer for 20 minutes. While your potatoes are cooking, boil your broccoli until it reaches your desired doneness, about 4-8 minutes, then drain and set aside. Once your potatoes are done, drain them and combine them in a bowl with 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup butter and salt and pepper. Mash them until the lumps are gone and the seasonings are incorporated. You can top the mashed potatoes with chopped parsley for more flavor. Once everything is complete, plate and enjoy!
