Baked Steak

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until quite hot, then add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, carefully lay the steaks into the pan, in batches to make sure they don't touch. Cook until the edges form a golden brown crust, two to three minutes per side. Editor's Tip: Make sure the skillet is nice and hot before adding the steaks. Not preheating the skillet enough is one of the biggest cast-iron cooking mistakes. Heating the oil just right is important too; make sure it's slick and thin before adding the meat. Spacing the steaks in the pan encourages them to brown; crowding them together will make them steam instead and you won't get a nice crust.

Top each steak with 1 tablespoon butter. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook until the meat reaches the desired doneness, three to four minutes. Editor's Tip: You want a good meat thermometer to take the temperature of the steaks. You're looking for 135° for medium-rare, 140° for medium and 145° for medium-well.

Let the steaks stand for five minutes before cutting into the meat. Editor's Tip: One of the most common mistakes when cooking steak is not letting the meat rest. If you slice too soon, moisture will seep out of the steak. Let it sit and the beef will "relax," absorbing the juices and keeping the steak moist and rich. When cutting a steak, make sure to cut against the grain so it stays nice and tender.