Steak and Green Bean Potato Hash
A garlicky skillet hash of crisp-edged potatoes and tender green beans topped with sliced seared steak and fresh thyme. High in protein and ready in one pan.
- Total
- 21 min
- Prep 8 · Cook 13
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Sautéing
- Savory
- Quick
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Cut the potatoes into 1.5 cm cubes. Trim the green beans and cut into 3 cm lengths. Mince the garlic. Pat the beef steak dry and season both sides with 0.25 tsp salt and the black pepper.
~6 min
Uniform 1.5 cm cubes cook at the same rate, and patting the steak dry helps it sear rather than steam.
-
Heat 1 tbsp butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes in a single layer and cook, stirring every 2 minutes, until golden and tender when pierced with a knife, about 8 minutes.
~10 min
A single layer lets moisture escape so the potatoes brown instead of steaming.
Dry the potato cubes well before they hit the pan and keep them in a single layer; surface moisture steams them and you lose the crisp edges that make this hash worth eating.
Sautéing Keep the pan hot and stir only every couple of minutes so the potatoes and beans brown instead of steaming. Crowding the pan is the usual mistake.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the potatoes cook, heat a separate small skillet over high heat. Sear the beef steak 2 minutes per side for medium-rare (63°C/145°F), then transfer to a board and rest 3 minutes.
~4 min
Searing at high heat creates Maillard browning, and resting lets juices redistribute so they don't run out when sliced.
Searing Get the pan very hot and don't move the steak; a deep brown crust means Maillard flavor. A pale, gray steak means the pan was too cool.
-
Push the potatoes to one side of the pan. Add the remaining 1 tbsp butter, the garlic and 0.5 tsp thyme to the empty side and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the green beans and remaining 0.5 tsp salt, toss everything together and cook until the beans are bright and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
~3 min
Adding garlic last prevents it from burning and turning bitter before the beans release moisture.
Add the garlic only in the last 30 seconds before the green beans go in. Garlic goes bitter fast at medium-high heat, and the beans release moisture that protects it.
Sautéing Keep the pan hot and stir only every couple of minutes so the potatoes and beans brown instead of steaming. Crowding the pan is the usual mistake.
-
Slice the rested steak thinly against the grain. Fold the steak and its resting juices into the hash, sprinkle with the remaining 0.5 tsp thyme and serve straight from the pan.
~2 min
Slicing against the grain shortens muscle fibers, making the steak more tender to chew.