Shaan's 🥩 Pan-Seared Grass-Fed Ribeye with Garlic Herb Butter & Mashed Potatoes
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Pan-Seared Ribeye
with Garlic Herb Butter & Mashed Potatoes
A grass-fed halal ribeye seared hard in cast iron, basted in garlic-thyme butter, and served over silky mashed potatoes with a melting pat of herb compound butter. Restaurant quality, your kitchen.
A great ribeye needs almost nothing — salt, pepper, heat, and butter. The ribeye's generous marbling bastes itself from the inside as it cooks, which is why it's forgiving in a way that leaner cuts aren't. Push it to a hard sear in a ripping-hot cast iron, then spend the last minute spooning foaming garlic butter over the top, and you've built layers of flavor that no sauce can match.
We use Thomas Farms grass-fed halal ribeye — the marbling is excellent and the flavor is noticeably richer than grain-fed. The compound butter takes 5 minutes to make and can be prepared days ahead. It's the kind of finishing touch that makes this feel genuinely special.
Optional upgrade: Mix roasted garlic into the mashed potatoes instead of raw. Roasted garlic is sweeter, mellower, and pairs beautifully with the richness of the ribeye. Wrap a whole head in foil with olive oil and roast at 400°F for 40 minutes while you prep everything else.
Ingredients
For the steak
- 10 oz / 225gThomas Farms halal ribeye, 1–1.5" thick
- 1 tbspOlive oil or avocado oil
- 1 tbspUnsalted butter
- 2 clovesGarlic, smashed
- 2 sprigsFresh thyme or rosemary
- GenerousKosher salt & cracked black pepper
Bring to room temp: Pull the steak from the fridge 30–45 minutes before cooking. A cold center means uneven cooking — the outside overcooks before the inside reaches temp.
For the garlic herb butter
- 2 tbspUnsalted butter, softened
- 1 cloveGarlic, finely minced
- 1 tspFresh parsley, chopped
- ½ tspFresh chives, chopped
- ½ tspFresh lemon juice
- PinchSalt
Make ahead: The compound butter keeps refrigerated for up to 1 week, or frozen for 2 months. Make a double batch and keep it on hand for steaks, grilled fish, or melting over vegetables.
For the mashed potatoes
- 1½ lbs / 680gYukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled & chunked
- 3 tbspUnsalted butter
- ½ cupWarm milk or cream (cream for richer mash)
- To tasteSalt & black pepper
Yukon gold vs russet: Yukons are naturally buttery and creamy. Russets are fluffier. Both work — Yukons need less butter to taste rich; russets absorb more.
Steak doneness guide
Instructions
Phase 1 — Herb butter (make first, can be done days ahead)
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1
Make the compound butter
In a small bowl, combine the softened butter with minced garlic, parsley, chives, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly until fully combined. Spoon onto a piece of parchment paper, roll into a small log shape, and twist the ends closed. Refrigerate until firm — at least 30 minutes. Cut into rounds to serve.
Phase 2 — Mashed potatoes
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2
Start the potatoes in cold water
Place potato chunks in a pot and cover with cold salted water — starting cold ensures they cook evenly all the way through. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook 15–20 minutes until completely fork-tender with no resistance at the center.
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3
Drain and mash
Drain thoroughly — residual water makes mash loose and bland. Return to the warm pot for 1 minute over low heat to steam off any remaining moisture. Add butter first and let it melt into the potatoes, then pour in warm milk gradually, mashing to your preferred consistency. Warm milk incorporates better and doesn't cool down the mash. Season generously with salt and pepper. Keep covered and warm.
Phase 3 — The steak
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4
Season and prep
Pat the ribeye completely dry with paper towels — surface moisture is the enemy of a crust. Season generously on both sides and the edges with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Don't be timid with the salt — a thick steak needs more than you think to season all the way through.
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5
Get the pan ripping hot
Place a cast-iron skillet over high heat for a full 2 minutes until it's smoking hot. Add the olive oil and swirl to coat — it should shimmer and almost smoke immediately. A hot enough pan is what creates the Maillard crust; anything less and you're steaming the steak.
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6
Sear hard on both sides
Lay the steak away from you into the pan — do not move it. Sear undisturbed for 2–3 minutes until a deep brown crust has formed. Flip once and sear the other side for 2–3 minutes. Resist the urge to press down or move it — contact time equals crust. For a 1.5-inch steak, also sear the fat cap on the edge for 1 minute.
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7
Baste with garlic butter
In the final minute of cooking, reduce heat to medium. Add the butter, smashed garlic cloves, and thyme sprigs to the pan. As the butter foams, tilt the pan toward you slightly and use a spoon to continuously scoop the foaming butter over the steak for 45–60 seconds. This is called arrosing — it adds flavor and helps the crust develop further. Remove the steak when it's 5°F below your target temperature — it will rise during resting.
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8
Rest before cutting — non-negotiable
Transfer to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes, loosely tented with foil. Cutting immediately loses all the juice onto the board rather than into each bite. The steak will continue cooking slightly during this time, which is why you pull it 5°F early.
Phase 4 — Plating
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9
Slice and plate
Slice the rested ribeye against the grain into thick pieces. Spoon mashed potatoes onto a warm plate and arrange the steak on top or alongside. Finish immediately with a round of the garlic herb butter placed directly on the hot steak — it will melt slowly over the slices as it hits the table. Serve right away.
Cast iron is not optional: Nonstick pans can't handle the sustained high heat needed for a proper crust and may warp. Stainless steel works if it's heavy. Carbon steel is excellent. If you don't own cast iron yet, this recipe is a good reason to invest — it lasts a lifetime.
Serving suggestions
Variations
🧄 Roasted garlic mash
Squeeze an entire head of roasted garlic into the mash. Sweeter, deeper, and makes the side dish as memorable as the steak.
🌿 Blue cheese butter
Swap the herb butter for a mix of softened butter and crumbled blue cheese. Bold and classic with ribeye's richness.
🥔 Truffle mash
Add a few drops of truffle oil and a tbsp of parmesan to the finished mash. A simple upgrade that makes it feel very restaurant-special.
🥩 Reverse sear method
Roast the ribeye at 250°F for 25–30 min until 115°F internally, then sear hard in cast iron for 1 min per side. More even cooking edge-to-edge.
🌶️ Chimichurri finish
Skip the compound butter and drizzle with fresh chimichurri — parsley, garlic, red wine vinegar, chili, and olive oil. A lighter, more herbaceous finish.
🍳 Pan sauce
After removing the steak, deglaze the cast iron with ¼ cup beef broth, scraping up the brown bits. Reduce by half, swirl in 1 tbsp butter. Spoon over the steak.
Storage
Leftovers
Steak keeps 3 days refrigerated. Mash keeps 3–4 days separately. Store the compound butter up to 1 week.
Compound butter
Freeze the butter log for up to 2 months. Slice off rounds as needed straight from frozen.
Reheating steak
Warm in a 250°F oven for 10–15 min, then give a quick 30-second sear in cast iron. Avoids the microwave's rubbery texture.
Nutrition (per serving, approx.)
* Estimates only. Values are per serving based on the full recipe serving 2, including mashed potatoes and herb butter. Using cream instead of milk adds approximately 60 calories per serving.
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