Rosemary Garlic Butter Steak

Beef is one of the few things strong enough to take rosemary head on. The sprigs go into the butter for the last two minutes of basting and come straight back out.

Why the rosemary matters here. Rosemary's camphor and pinene are powerful and fat-soluble — two minutes in foaming butter is enough to perfume the whole steak. Leave the sprigs in longer and the plate starts tasting like a pine forest.

Home kitchen · 4 to 6 servings

• 2 sprigs Fresh rosemary, bruised, whole
• 2½ lb Ribeye or New York strip, 1½ inch thick
• 6 oz Unsalted butter
• 1 head Garlic, cloves smashed, skins on
• 2 tbsp Neutral high-smoke oil
• to taste Coarse salt and cracked black pepper

Herb quantities are given in loose cups, not weight — a cup should look like too much before you chop it.

Method

1. 1 Salt the steaks 40 minutes ahead and leave them uncovered at room temperature. Pat bone dry.
2. 2 Sear in smoking oil in a heavy skillet, 3 minutes a side, without moving them.
3. 3 Drop the heat to medium. Add the butter, smashed garlic and the two bruised rosemary sprigs.
4. 4 Baste continuously for 2 minutes, then remove the sprigs — they have given everything they have.
5. 5 Rest 8 minutes on a rack. Slice against the grain and spoon the strained rosemary butter over the top.