Steak Au Poivre

A fancy dish surprisingly easy to make, and you don't need the more expensive cuts of meat.

2 1/2 pounds bone-in chuck steak, about 2 inches thick
1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon grated onion
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Remove bone and fat and cut steak into serving-size pieces. Place meat in a shallow glass or stainless-steal pan. Pour dressing, wine and onion over meat. Pierce the steak surface with a fork on both sides. Cover and marinate in refrigerator overnight.

When ready to cook, remove steak and dry on paper towels. Reserve marinade. Mash peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or place in cloth bag and crush coarsely with a mallet or hammer. Sprinkle both sides of meat with peppercorns, pressing into surface of meat with fingers. Let stand 30 minutes.

Heat butter in a large skillet and brown meat over high heat on both sides, taking care not to dislodge peppercorns. Lower heat and cook about 6 minutes on each side, or until meat is at desired degree of doneness. Remove to heated platter.

Add reserved marinade to skillet and heat, stirring to remove browned bits from skillet bottom. Serve sauce separately. Serves 4.

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