Seared Steaks & Mashed Potatoes

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Core the apple; cut into matchsticks. Peel, halve and thinly slice the onion. Cut out and discard the cabbage core; thinly slice the leaves. Peel and large dice the potatoes. Pick the parsley leaves off the stems; discard the stems and thinly slice the leaves.

In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the apple and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened.

Add the cabbage to the pan of apple and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cabbage has wilted. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the vinegar, sugar and ¼ cup of water. Cook, tightly covering the pan with foil (or a lid), 12 to 14 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl and loosely cover with foil; set aside in a warm place. Rinse and wipe out the pan.

While the vegetables cook, add the potatoes to the pot of boiling water. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Reserving ¼ cup of the cooking water, drain thoroughly and return to the pot. Off the heat, add ¾ of the butter and half the reserved cooking water. Using a fork, mash the mixture to your desired consistency. (If the mixture seems dry, gradually add the remaining cooking water to achieve your desired consistency.) Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside in a warm place.

Pat the steaks dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on both sides. In the pan used to cook the vegetables, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned steaks. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, or until browned and cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Transfer to a plate or cutting board, leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan. Loosely cover the cooked steaks with foil; let rest for at least 5 minutes.

While the steaks rest, heat the pan of reserved fond on medium-high until hot. Add the demi-glace, remaining butter and ¼ cup of water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any fond from the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced in volume by about half. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the rested steaks, finished vegetables and mashed potatoes between 4 plates. Top the steaks and mashed potatoes with a few spoonfuls of the pan sauce. Garnish with the parsley. Enjoy!