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flameDinnerBeefAmericanWeeknight30–60 mins
Seared Steak with Bacon-Braised Chard and Skillet Corn
Prep15 minutes
Cook30 minutes
Total45 minutes
ServesServes: 2
We picked up a gorgeous bunch of Swiss chard at the market, and this is what it became. The whole plate runs on one pan and a single ingredient logic: bacon renders, everything else cooks in its fat. The chard goes silky, the corn picks up color, and the steak gets the hot pan and a butter baste at the end. Chicken thighs would work, but they fight the bacon for the same job. Steak gives you a clean crust against all that richness, and a squeeze of acid at the end keeps it from getting heavy.
Method
Steps
- Salt the steak generously on both sides and leave it out at room temperature while you cook everything else. A 30 to 40 minute head start gives you a better crust and a more even cook.
- In a large skillet over medium-low heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes. Scoop the bacon out with a slotted spoon and leave the fat in the pan.
- Add the sliced onion to the bacon fat and cook over medium heat until soft and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chard stems and cook another 2 to 3 minutes until they start to soften.
- Pile in the chard leaves with a splash of water, cover, and braise until silky, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once. Finish with 1 tablespoon butter, half the bacon, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Scrape into a bowl and keep warm. Wipe the pan.
- Get the steak going. Heat the wiped skillet (or a cast iron) over medium-high until it just starts to smoke. Pat the steak dry and sear undisturbed 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. In the last minute, add 1 tablespoon butter, tilt the pan, and spoon it over the steak. Pull it to a board and rest at least 5 minutes.
- While the steak rests, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the same pan over medium-high. Add the corn in a single layer and cook without stirring for a minute so it picks up color, then toss and cook 3 to 4 minutes total until sweet and lightly charred. Salt, pepper, and the rest of the bacon.
- Slice the steak against the grain. Plate the chard, the corn, and the steak, and spoon any board juices over the top.
Good to know
Notes
- Cook in order, eat all at onceThe sequence is the recipe: salt steak, render bacon, braise chard, sear steak, rest while you do the corn in the same pan. Everything lands hot within a few minutes of each other.
- Don't skip the acidBacon fat, butter, and sweet corn all push rich and sweet. The lemon or vinegar on the chard is what keeps the plate balanced.
- Swap in chicken thighsif that is what you have. Cook them skin-side down in the rendered fat until the skin is crisp and they reach 165°F, then rest and slice. Pull back the bacon a touch so the two don't compete.
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