This recipe I learned from one of those “product sample” ladies you sometimes see at the grocery store.

It has become a regular and a favorite with most people that I prepare it for.

My wife likes it so much she asked me to prepare this as the main entree for Mothers Day last month. And again on Memorial Day.

First, indulge me as I tell you the story of how I discovered this taste treat.

One of the radio stations I was working for at the time WXKE, was hired by Cargill to do a live radio remote at a local Kroger grocery store to promote the Sterling Silver branded meats they were introducing.  The woman who was our “product sample” lady of the day, was nearly 70 years old and did this on the weekends to pick up some extra $$$. Cathy was her name.

Armed with an electric frying pan with a lid, a knife, a bottle of olive oil and some seasoning, Cathy was cooking up bite sized pieces of ribeye, serving them on toothpicks and creating smiles.

I usually order my red meat with a little pink inside, otherwise, it tastes dried out.  But Cathy was serving bits of steak that had absolutely no pink left.  She told me that was a requirement in her line of work.

Every once in awhile WXKE radio personality Doc West and I would have to eat a bunch of samples of Cathy’s cooking because there was a time limit on how long the samples could be held.

I bet each of us ate nearly a pound of ribeye that day, one toothpick at a time.

I have seen Cathy a couple times over the years since and I thank her each time for sharing her secret skillet steak recipe that I’ll now share with you:

You need three ingredients:

Steak, olive oil and Morton® Nature’s Seasons® Seasoning Blend.

The steaks should be cut thin.  The steaks need not be the leanest available either.  Actually if they are too lean, they have less taste.

Yesterday, for the two of us, I had 1 pound of 1/2 inch thick chuck steak.

Regarding the olive oil, I’ve used light, extra light, extra virgin, and cannot tell the difference in the result.

Start with a frying pan with a lid and generously pour a bit more than enough to coat the bottom of the pan.  Cover the pan as you heat up the oil.  I either use a cast iron or a non-stick skillet on our electric range and set the temperature between High and Medium-High.

Cut the meat into serving size portions, I did 1/4 pound steaks Memorial Day.

Sprinkle the Morton Seasoning liberally on each steak and place seasoned side down in the hot oil and sprinkle more Morton Seasoning liberally on each steak once it is in the pan.

Cover quickly and cook for about 90 seconds.

Remove the lid and flip the steaks. Depending on how well done the first side is, you can determine if you should cook the second side longer or for less time.

After approximately another 90 seconds, remove the pan from the heat, carefully pluck each steak out onto each persons plate and prepare to enjoy a very tasty flavorful steak that you can enjoy year round.

A couple of side notes:

Do NOT flip the steaks more than one time. Cook once on each side.

You are working with hot oil.  Wear oven mitts.  Be prepared for a lot of splattering.  I clean up my mess quickly with paper towels and a little grease cutting dish soap.

Prepare the rest of the meal first as this only takes 3 minutes to cook and is best served hot out of the pan.  If you have to prepare them a little ahead of serving time, because you are fixing maybe 10 or 12, then wrap each one in foil to capture the heat and juices as you remove them from the pan.  Then let each guest unwrap their steak on their plate.

That’s it. Try it a couple times and it’s nearly foolproof.  I would have pictures but we keep eating it before we grab a camera!