I was introduced to Peter Luger’s by my Brooklyn family a long time ago. Unfortunately I was a vegetarian at the time and missed out on the steak. However, I did enjoy the sides: creamed spinach, potatoes and of course the onion and tomato appetizer. Things have changed a lot since then. I’ve become a meat-eater and also privy to the Peter Luger’s clone steak house: Ben and Jacks, which has essentially the exact same steak and sides, but with more convenient Manhattan locations and they take credit cards. Besides Peter Luger’s, there are two other inspirations for this meal: my mother and a certain genius Asian woman who writes a blog called Luxirare. My mother provided inspiration in the form of her famous potato latkes, which are like most potato lakes, but about ten times better. My mother and this weird genius Asian lady have little in common, except that they both can work wonders with steak and potatoes. Click here for Luxirare’s incredible photographs of her steak dinner. So here is my version of a Hanukah-inspired steak dinner for two.

Jew Friendly Steak House Dinner

Potato Latkes

Creamed Beets

Creamed Spinach

Pan-fried steak

Three ingredient Beef Bourguignon Steak Sauce

And of course….the recipes

Potato Latkes

You will need:

3 Potatoes

1 yellow onion

2 eggs

2 Tbs flour

1 Tsp salt

1/2 cup frying oil (canola works best, but a combination of grapeseed oil and olive oil is delicious)

1. Grate the potatoes on a box grater so they form shreds that resemble hash browns. Pulse the onions in a food processor. Mix together in a big bowl.

2. Add the eggs, flour and salt and mix.

3. Heat the oil over medium-high in a heavy-bottomed skillet and add about 2 Tbs of the mixture at a time to form small patties. Cook for about two minutes on each side until crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels or brown bags (Trader Joes bags work wonders).

Creamed Spinach (Replace Spinach with Beets for Creamed Beets)

You will need:

1 bag frozen spinach

1 Tbs salt

2 Tbs butter

1 small onion, chopped very finely

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup cream

1/2 whole milk

1. Saute the onions and garlic in a skillet with some butter. Add the spinach and salt and continue to cook for five minutes until the water is absorbed. Add the cream and milk and cook for another ten minutes so the cream begins to thicken.

Pan-Fried Steak

You will need:

A small piece of fatty rib-eye

2 tbs salt

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 Tbs butter.

1. Mix the salt and pepper together and coat both sides of the steak. Don’t skimp out on the salt, this is what forms the delicious crust.

2. Heat your heaviest skillet for at least two minutes. Cast iron works best, but anything that stays hot will work fine. Melt the butter so it sizzles. Add the steak and cook for about 4 minutes on one side *do not move the steak at all, as it is working very hard to form a crust that will make you sing when you bite into it.

Three Ingredient Beef Bourguignon

You will need:

One cup of frozen pearl onions *more power to you if you can find fresh and find the time to peel them

1 Tbs butter

1/2 cup shitty red wine

1. Heat the butter in the pan and brown the onions, so parts of the skin become crispy, about ten minutes. Add the wine and simmer for another fifteen minutes.