Steak and Potato Hash with Cheddar

Crispy potatoes and juicy seared steak, nestled together under a blanket of cheese. I'm amazed by this last-minute "emergency" invention. That rush job turned into an incredible, one-skillet meal. I served it for dinner, but imagine waking up to this medley for breakfast...

The truth behind this recipe - Luke invited friends over at the last minute - right around dinner time. That's fine by me - the more the merrier. But I already had a pasta casserole prepared; a dish intended to serve 3-4 people. Now we were 7, and 6 of us were hungry teenagers! You can guess who the 7th was.

So, I checked my fridge and found a bag of potatoes, a leftover steak from a previous meal, cheddar cheese, and green onions. My spice drawer is always loaded with the staples, so off to the skillet I went.

The potatoes are seasoned with a classic "hash" blend of onion, garlic and paprika. I added oregano and basil for pizazz. My steak was already cooked so I just diced it up and added it to the potatoes. BUT, if you don't have leftover steak... Simply start with a nice 1/2-3/4 pound steak (ribeye, sirloin, NY Strip). Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet (preferably the ovenproof skillet you'll be using the make the whole recipe) over medium-high heat. Add the steak to the hot pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until medium or medium-rare (it will cook longer in the oven later). Remove the steak from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. After the steak has rested, cut it into bite-size pieces and use it as directed below.

About the potatoes: I had a bag of petite gold potatoes so that's what I used. Any potato variety will work here. And, since they were gold potatoes, I left the skin on (it's super thin and adds great flavor). I would have done the same with little white and red potatoes. If I had Idaho/Russet potatoes, I probably would have peeled them (I find that skin a bit thicker and not as desirable in recipes like this). I'll leave the decision up to you.

Steak and Potato Hash with Cheddar

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (peeled or unpeeled)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups diced cooked steak (this is a great use for leftovers); see note above if you're starting with raw steak
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped green onions for serving, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a large, ovenproof skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil (I prefer cast iron skillets for recipes like this).
In a large bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, potatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, and paprika. Add about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and toss to coat. Transfer the potatoes to the prepared skillet. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Stir the potatoes and then top with the steak and cheese. Return the skillet to the oven and bake for 10 to 15 more minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender and the cheese melts.
Top with green onions before serving if desired.

Serves 4