Peppercorn Crusted Filet + Rosemary Smashed Potatoes

In edition number two of "fancy dinner and wine from our trip night," we made peppercorn crusted filets with the most amazing smashed potatoes with just a hint of rosemary. Dustin claims he divided the potatoes equally between us (I claim he gave himself slightly more, which is justified considering how much I normally eat) with the expectation that I would have leftovers. I didn't. I did give him some of my steak however. I was too full on smashed potatoes dipped in an easy garlic-y aioli. Yum!

Now it's time for a little rant about the Whole Foods out here in California. I don't know if we were just really spoiled by a large and expansive Whole Foods in Bellevue, but the stores here are tiny and the selection stinks. We usually like to get our meat and produce from the nicer (i.e. more expensive) grocery store and all of the middle aisle stuff from Ralph's (basically the same store as Kroger's back in Texas). We came to the grocery store with four meat items to buy from the butcher's counter, and we left with one (and it wasn't exactly even quite what we wanted). No chorizo, no chicken wings, and no filet. They did have tenderloin, but not cut into filets. We ended up buying filets at Ralph's, which weren't as awesome as we expected, but the flavor profile was great. At least they had them in the store though...

We intended to make this recipe for peppercorn crusted filets with this red wine balsamic sauce, and we actually had the sauce made. It was perfect until we ate the steaks sans sauce and found it the next morning still sitting in a pot on the stove when we went to clean up. I feel like that happens more often than it should to us.

Rosemary Smashed Potatoes

serves 2

• 4 medium red potatoes, washed and dried
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1. Place potatoes in a pot covered with at least an inch of water, then bring water to a boil.
2. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
3. Preheat oven to 450º.
4. Let potatoes cool for a few minutes on a towel and allow them to dry.
5. Place on a baking sheet, then lightly smash down on them.
6. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and rosemary.
7. Bake the potatoes for 30-40 minutes, flipping once, until the edges are brown and crispy.