Blue Cheese Crusted Steak with Balsamic Shallots

Bring a taste of the steakhouse home with this easy to make Blue Cheese Crusted Steak recipe. With balsamic-caramelized shallots, crispy breadcrumbs, and herbs, this restaurant-quality dish is ready to impress in an hour, prep to table. I’m usually a minimalist when it comes to a good cut of steak. Just sea salt, pepper, herbs, and a flavored butter on top. That is, unless a Blue Cheese Crusted Steak is on the menu. There’s something so irresistible about the flavor of beef with creamy, piquant blue cheese.

You’ll often find blue cheese crust as an add-on at steakhouses. It’s a finishing touch that elevates a simple steak dinner to “special” status. It’s also an incredibly easy upgrade to recreate at home, whether you’re serving it for a dinner party or an intimate dinner for two. Blue Cheese Crusted Steak is one of my go-to recipes for when I want to “wow” without a lot of time to cook. For a more mildly-flavored cut, like filet mignon, the blue cheese and balsamic shallots in the crust mixture add to the overall flavor of the steak significantly. With something like a strip steak or ribeye that has a bigger, beefier flavor, the crust stands up to the cut and complements it nicely.

Ingredients:

• 2 New York Strip Steaks , about 12 ounces each and 1-1/2 inches thick (or your favorite steak cut)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2-3 shallots , sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds (about 1 cup shallots)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil , plus 1-2 tablespoons, divided
• 3 ounces crumbled blue cheese (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper