While we were in New Orleans recently, Kirby made these portobello mushrooms for Dawn and me that were really wonderful. Of course he didn’t follow a recipe, but between the basic rundown he gave me of how he made them and the information I gleaned from hovering around him in the kitchen, I compiled a mental list of ingredients. Yesterday I decided I wanted to reproduce them, so I went to work. A lot of these numbers are just approximations because I just threw everything together and tasted as I went along, but I’ll definitely be making these again in a more controlled manner and attempting to perfect the recipe (though I’ll admit it’s pretty close to perfect as it is). Served with a simple salad, this would make a great, minimal-effort Valentines dinner for the veggie-lover in your life!
Ignore that soup--the mushroom, potatoes, and gravy were the real star of the show!
Portobello Mushroom Steak & Potatoes:
- one large onion, chopped
- three cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 t butter or olive oil
- two large portobello mushrooms
- 1/2 C soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 C red wine vinegar
- 3 T honey
- 1 t crushed red pepper
- 1/2 t ginger
- 1/2 t ground clove
- 1/4 t basil
- 1/4 t parsley
- 1 t cornstarch
- 1/2 C water
Mix middle eight ingredients (from soy sauce to parsley) in a small bowl, whisking until everything is well combined. Set aside. Saute the onions on medium-high heat until they’re translucent (3-5 minutes), then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or two. Place the mushrooms in the skillet, then pour the sauce mixture over them. Lower the head to medium-low and cover the skillet, letting the mushrooms cook for 10-15 minutes, flipping them halfway through the cooking time. Once the mushrooms are tender, remove from skillet and set aside. To make the gravy, combine the cornstarch and water, making sure to mix well so that no clumps of cornstarch remain. Pour into the onion, garlic, and sauce mixture left in the skillet after the mushrooms are done and mix well. Cook on low heat until the gravy has thickened to your liking, then pour over mashed potatoes. (My mashed potatoes were very basic: washed thoroughly, diced and boiled with skins on, added salt, pepper, butter, and milk and mashed coarsely with a fork.)
