Garlic Steak and Potatoes

Tender steak, crispy golden brown potatoes, and lots of garlic make this quick skillet meal the ultimate comfort food. Simple ingredients, big flavor, and ready in under 30 minutes! You’ll love this easy recipe.

When someone asks me what I would want to eat for my last meal my answer is always “steak with a potato and a wedge salad”. Perhaps talking about a last meal feels like a pretty morbid start to this recipe description. My point is this: I’m a gal who loves steak and potatoes. Always have. Always will.

Unfortunately grilling a steak isn’t always an option because (a) the weather may not permit it or (b) I just don’t feel like firing up the grill. The good news is that you can enjoy an incredible steak dinner any night of the week. There’s no need to save it for a special occasion! I’m going to show you the easiest way to serve a skillet steak and crispy potatoes dinner. Trust me, the whole family will approve of this feast.

Garlic steak bites with potatoes are the solution you need. Suddenly this dreamy flavor combo is easy enough for busy weeknights any time of year.

Garlic Steak and Potatoes Ingredients

• Olive or avocado oil: The oil helps sauté the steak and potatoes. I recommend olive or avocado oil but you can use any oil you’re comfortable cooking with.
• Baby dutch yellow potatoes: I love baby dutch yellow potatoes in this skillet meal because they’re easy to cut in half (amen for quick prep!) and have a naturally buttery flavor.
• Sirloin steak: Sirloin is my favorite cut of steak for this skillet meal because it’s inexpensive, readily available, and tender.
• Butter or ghee: Use whichever you prefer. Ghee is a popular choice because it has a much richer flavor and the milk fat has been cooked out. The choice is yours!
• Garlic: You can mince your own garlic or use a jarred variety.
• Herbs and seasonings: We’re using plenty of dried spices and herbs to beautifully flavor this steak and potatoes recipe. These should all be pantry staples you already have on hand.

To make this recipe the first thing we’ll do is sauté the potatoes. It takes a little extra time to get them perfectly tender and it’s worth every minute. Add the oil to a large skillet. Add your halved baby dutch yellow potatoes to the hot pan. Potato pieces should be about 1 – 1 1/2″ in size so larger than we’d use in a hash. Stir occasionally and let those potatoes sauté on medium-high heat to medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. The pan needs to be hot enough for the potatoes brown on the outside but get fluffy on the inside.

Now move the potatoes over to one side of the skillet. We’re going to make room for our steak! We cook the steak separately because we want to get plenty of searing. Add ghee or butter to the empty side. Then the steak pieces go in. Season everything. Cook until steak is how you like it and then stir to combine with potatoes. (If using a smaller skillet you can remove the potatoes from the skillet while you cook the steak. Then add the potatoes back at the end.) Top with fresh herbs if you have some handy and want to make each serving really look impressive.

So simple! You’re going to love this hearty skillet meal!

What size skillet should you use?

I recommend an 11 or 12″ skillet for all my skillet meals. You’ll be able to accommodate more food in the pan this way which ensures quick and even cooking. Using a skillet that’s too small increases your cooking time. It also makes it much more difficult to achieve the browning we want.

A cast iron skillet works great for this delicious meal. A nonstick skillet is another option and what I use most often. You can find my skillet recommendations linked in my Shop.

Can you use a different type of potato?

I recommend baby dutch yellow potatoes for two reasons. First, they’re naturally buttery in flavor. Second, they’re small so you only need to cut them in half to get the perfect size for pairing with these steak bites.

You can absolutely use any baby potatoes or even a larger potato variety if you cut the potato into smaller pieces. Yukon gold potatoes, russet potatoes or red potatoes work well. Potato pieces should be a little larger than the steak pieces. This isn’t intended to be a hash.

How to Avoid Undercooked Potatoes

To ensure the potatoes cook through, first cut them the same size. If some pieces are smaller they’ll cook too quickly and the larger pieces will cook too slowly. We want our potato pieces to be uniform in size.

The potatoes require more cooking time than the steak so we let them sauté first. Make sure you’re cooking at a high enough temperature. I recommend medium to medium-high heat. This will give us the browning we’re looking for on the outside. If your potatoes are browning too quickly you can lower the heat a bit.

If you’re really struggling to get those potatoes cooked through you can add a few tablespoons of water to the skillet and cover. Let that simmer for a couple minutes and your potatoes will soften. (Only do this after you’ve browned the outside of the potatoes.)

What kind of steak is best for this skillet meal?

I’ve found that sirloin steak is the best steak for this dish. It’s relatively inexpensive and very easy to find in the grocery store. Plus you’ll find that it’s tender even when cooked in a skillet.

Don’t have sirloin steak? Tenderloin, ribeye steak, New York strip steak, and filet mignon will work well too. I would avoid flank steak and skirt steak because they are tougher cuts of meat.

Can this skillet meal be used for meal prep?

This is an excellent choice for meal prep! It will last for 3 to 4 days refrigerated in an airtight container.

You can quickly reheat any leftover steak and potatoes in your microwave. If you have the extra time you might find that you prefer reheating in a skillet on the stove. Both options work well!

How to serve this

Want a vegetable? Add a green side to turn this into a complete meal. I recommend my Spicy Roasted Broccoli, Easy Roasted Broccoli, Balsamic Bacon Brussels Sprouts, Garlic Green Beans, Simple Sautéed Cabbage, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or Roasted Green Beans with Almonds.

Want to add more color to your plate? These Roasted Ranch Veggies will give you your vegetable fix and look so dang pretty. You’ll enjoy these Roasted Parsley Carrots and my Roasted Red Cabbage too.

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