The Great Outdoors* wasn’t a movie that I grew up watching all of the time, but it’s one that I came to love later on. My family has always been big John Candy fans – from his cameos in Home Alone and Vacation, his hilarious role in Uncle Buck, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, something that we watch every Thanksgiving. I think the first time I ever watched The Great Outdoors, which stars John Candy and another favorite, Dan Aykroyd, was at our cabin on a cold, winter night. Ever since then, it’s been one of my favorites to watch when I’m around family or on a lazy Saturday afternoon. It may not be one of the most critically acclaimed movies, but I love the ‘Yakity Yak’ song at the beginning, I love those crazy raccoons, and I, of course, love the part where John Candy eats the Old 96er. I only wish I had one of those shirts*…

Because the scene where John Candy eats that huge steak is one of my favorite parts, I knew right off that I had to recreate it. It was too good not to. My take probably won’t leave you busting at the seams (although, you never know!), but it’s chocked full of so much flavor that you may even come back for seconds. I cooked a couple of steaks the same way I do any of mine – quick sear on both sides, finished in the oven, and broiled for a few minutes with some butter on top for a nice crust, and topped it with a leek compound butter that is so good, you’ll be searching for other ways to use it. I also made twice baked pimento cheese potatoes – which are jaw-dropping-ly good. Everyone knows I put pimento cheese on just about everything, so putting them in these potatoes instead of normal shredded cheddar, was kind of a no-brainer. If twice-baked potatoes are on your family’s wish list for Thanksgiving or Christmas, then you need to try these; they are blow-your-mind-delicious. I can’t rave about them enough!

Dinner in the Movie: The Great Outdoors

Steaks with Leek Compound Butter and Twice Baked Pimento Cheese Potatoes

For the steaks:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup leeks, minced (only white and light green parts)
2 steaks
Salt and pepper

For the twice baked pimento cheese potatoes:
(this serves more than two people, but you can freeze these, and trust me, you’ll want them in the freezer for later)

4 baking potatoes
Crisco for spreading
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk
1/4-1/2 cup Pimento cheese, plus more for spreading over the potatoes before they do their second bake
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the steaks:

Begin by taking out the steaks 20-30 minutes before cooking to get the chill off. In the meantime, mix up the butter and leeks until fully incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir well, and set aside. Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees and place a medium skillet (one that’s oven proof) on a burner and heat over high heat until screaming hot. Season both sides of the steaks very liberally with salt and pepper. Place the steaks down and DO NOT TOUCH for 3-4 minutes. I set a timer so that I don’t accidentally peek because you’ll ruin the caramelization on the steak. After the 3-4 minutes, flip to the other side and cook for another 3 minutes. Now, I like my steaks rare so I would skip the oven part, but if you like your steak more on the done side place in the oven and continue to cook until it’s at the done-ness you like. I love this finger test and use it frequently: Simply Recipes finger test for done-ness.

When your steak is at the done-ness you prefer, take the steaks out, place a little pat of the leek butter on top, turn your broiler onto high, and broil for about 2-3 minutes or until the steak is crispy and brown on the top. I wouldn’t go past 3 minutes. Take the steaks out of the oven and loosely cover them with foil and let rest for at least 15 minutes so that the juices re-distribute. Serve with the twice baked pimento cheese potatoes

For the potatoes:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash and dry the potatoes, then rub them with Crisco. Pierce a few times with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from the oven. Slice in half lengthwise and scoop out the inside of the potato. Place the “shells” of the potatoes in a baking dish and add the potato filling to a stand mixer. To the potato filling, add the butter, heavy cream, pimento cheese, salt and pepper. Turn mixer on to low and beat until fully combined and fluffy. You may need to add more of each of the ingredients depending upon how big your potatoes are. Use the measurements above as a guide, but taste as you go so you can get the right flavor/texture. Stuff the potato “shells” with the filling. This can be done ahead of time and placed in the fridge or even the freezer until you’re ready to bake.

To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a dollop of pimento cheese on each potato and bake for about 20 minutes until heated through and the pimento cheese on top has melted. Serve immediately.

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