Seared Steaks

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Thinly slice the sweet potato into rounds. Cut off and discard the stem ends of the Brussels sprouts. Pick off and reserve the Brussels sprout leaves until you reach the lighter cores; discard the cores. Using a peeler, remove the yellow rind of the lemon, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester). Quarter and deseed the lemon. Core and small dice the apple; toss with the juice of 1 lemon wedge to prevent browning. Roughly chop the walnuts.

In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the sweet potato in a single, even layer; season with salt and pepper. Cook 4 to 6 minutes per side, or until browned and tender. Transfer to a bowl. Wipe out the pan.

Pat the steaks dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on both sides. In the pan used to cook the sweet potato, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned steaks and cook 2 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, or until browned and cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with aluminum foil, leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan. Let the cooked steaks rest for at least 5 minutes.

While the steaks rest, add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan of reserved fond; heat on medium-high until hot. Add the cooked sweet potato, apple, Brussels sprouts, walnuts and lemon zest; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and the Brussels sprouts are bright green. Remove from heat.

Off the heat, add the juice of 1 lemon wedge and the blue cheese to the pan of vegetables; stir to thoroughly combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the finished sauté and rested steaks between 2 plates. Serve with the remaining lemon wedges. Enjoy!