The best New Year’s Eve party I ever attended was a progressive graze of one appetizer after another all evening. When a dish came off the grill or out of the oven, we nibbled on it until we were ready for the next course. What a great vibe.
For my own offering that evening, I took inspiration from my favorite steakhouse ingredients — beef, mushrooms and bacon — and turned them into a sizzling steakhouse kebab. Because there is nothing as festive as food on a stick! And this kebab is extra special and easy. Because both the chunks of filet and the mushrooms are bathed in bacon fat as they cook, there is little that you need to do to the ingredients to make them taste spectacular.
For a dish as simple as this, buy the best possible raw ingredients. This steak recipe allows you to stretch two filets among six people, so you can afford to splurge on prime beef. I chose mushrooms because I love them and because they take about the same amount of time as filet to cook. But if you prefer, you could substitute cherry tomatoes or any of your favorite vegetables. If the vegetables take a lot longer to cook (such as potatoes), make sure that you partially cook them first.
Speaking of which, the secret to these kebabs is precooking the bacon. Since you want it to get crispy by the time the mushrooms and filet are done, you need to cook it just until the fat begins to render out, then use it to make the kebabs. As for the skewers, be sure to soak them in water so they won’t burn on the grill.
STEAKHOUSE KEBABS WITH MUSHROOMS AND BACON
Start to finish: 35 minutes
Servings: 6
8 slices center-cut bacon
Two 10-ounce center cut filet mignons
Olive oil
Kosher salt
18 large white mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed
6 long bamboo skewers, soaked in water
Nutrition information per serving: 240 calories; 140 calories from fat (58 percent of total calories); 15 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 70 mg cholesterol; 420 mg sodium; 1 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 25 g protein.
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