Sautéed Mushrooms for Steak (and Burgers)

If you've ever dumped a mushrooms into a pan and ended up with a watery simmer, I feel you.  It's the single most common mushroom complaint there is. Mushrooms are mostly water, and that water has to go somewhere.

Browning happens when the surface of the mushroom gets hotter than the boiling point of water. This can't happen while the pan is crowded and steaming. So everything we do is in service of getting water out fast and giving the mushrooms room.

Three Keys to Success

First, use a wide, heavy pan.  I pull out my biggest cast iron skillet.

Second, give them space. Otherwise, they will steam in their own moisture. If your pan looks crowded, cook in two batches.

Third, and this is the hard one, leave them alone. Every time you stir you drop the pan temperature.  Let them sit undisturbed for the first few minutes and you'll be rewarded with the perfect texture.

When You Salt Matters

Salt pulls water out of mushrooms, and yes, we want the water gone.

So why not salt them right away? Because there are two ways to get the water out, and only one of them browns. A hot, dry pan evaporates the water off as fast as it releases. This lets the mushrooms cook without getting mushy.

Salt draws the water out all at once, faster than the pan can cook it away. This moisture makes the mushrooms steam. So we wait. Salt goes in at the very end, once the moisture has cooked off. You get all the seasoning and none of the steam.

Garlic goes in last, too

Garlic burns fast, and burnt garlic turns bitter in a way that can taint the whole pan. Mushrooms need a solid ten minutes to cook properly, and raw garlic added at the start would be acrid char by the time they're done. So the garlic waits until the mushrooms are nearly finished, gets about thirty seconds to bloom in the hot butter, and that's it. You'll smell exactly when it's ready.

A word on the herbs

The first time I made these, (with rosemary, because Whole Foods of all places was out of thyme that week) I was surprised at how much the herb crept into the finished mushrooms. As they cook in the butter, the herbs release their oils and the mushrooms drink it all in. Either thyme or rosemary works beautifully; thyme is a little more delicate and woodsy, rosemary a little more piney and assertive. Use whole sprigs and fish them out before serving. 

The balsamic at the end is the other quiet hero. Stirred in off the heat, it doesn't read as vinegary but provides a depth of flavor and subtle sweetness.

Step-by-Step

Make ahead, and Freeze Leftovers

These reheat well. You can cook them earlier in the day and warm them in a skillet right before the steaks rest.

But the real tip: freeze the leftovers. I portion them into small single-serve bags. (Single serve, because my kids don't love mushrooms like I do.) S spoonful of these mushrooms is the fastest way I know to elevate an ordinary weeknight. They go straight from freezer to hot pan, no thawing required.

What to serve them with

These are great with any of my steak recipes. Some favorites are Blackstone Steak and Hanger Steak.

They're also fantastic burger topping (pile them on a Blackstone Smash Burger with a slice of melty cheese), they dress up a plain sous vide chicken breast. I've even stirred them into into chicken bacon ranch potato bake, which sounds much weirder than it is.