Air fryer steak
Juicy sirloin with a browned outside and a melting pat of garlic butter on top, no smoky kitchen and no splatter.
- 50 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $6.00 a serving
- 490 calories
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 lb sirloin steak, two steaks about 1 inch thick
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp olive oil
Each serving has about 490 calories, 48 g protein, 1 g carbs and 32 g fat, and costs about $6.00 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No sirloin steak? New York strip steak or ribeye steak works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Take the steaks out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking, them dry, and both sides with the salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Season. Seasoning means adding salt, pepper or spices to bring out a food’s flavor. A little at a few stages tastes better than a lot all at the end.
How you’ll know: When you taste it, it tastes bright and like itself, not flat and not salty.
Timer: 30 min
Dolly’s tip: A steak that isn’t fridge-cold cooks more evenly, with less gray at the edges.Mash the soft butter with the garlic and the parsley in a small bowl.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
the air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Timer: 5 min
Rub the steaks with the oil, lay them in the basket without touching, and air fry 5 minutes.
Timer: 5 min
Flip them and air fry 4 to 6 minutes more, until the middle reads 145°F.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: Every air fryer runs a little different. Check at 4 minutes and add time a minute at a time.Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
Move the steaks to a board, top each with a spoonful of the garlic butter, and 5 minutes.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Timer: 5 min
across the grain and spoon the melted butter over the top.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Dolly’s tip: The grain is the lines running through the meat. Cut across them and every bite is tender.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
