STEAK OUT, ITALIAN STYLE

Steps:

• For the fries and Marsala mushrooms: Turn oven on 425 degrees F, a rack in lower third and another in upper third of oven.
• Gather bacon, fries, fresh and dried mushrooms, stock, butter, shallots, garlic, thyme, parsley, rosemary and steaks.
• Arrange bacon on broiler pan or wire rack over baking sheet. Arrange the waffle fries on a second large baking sheet. Place fries on top shelf and bacon below in oven. Cook bacon 15 minutes or until brown and very crisp (bacon is optional topping for fries). Cook waffle fries (or potato wedges) 25 minutes, turning once, then season with salt and pepper before topping and serving.
• Gill the portobellos (scrape the underbelly of caps) and thinly slice.
• Place dried mushrooms in small pot or pan, cover with stock or water, bring to a boil and reduce to 1/2 cup liquid, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet, cast-iron griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat for steaks.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high to high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add butter to oil and melt. Add fresh mushrooms and brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and chop shallot and grate or chop 2 cloves garlic; strip thyme leaves and chop; finely chop parsley. Add shallots and garlic to mushrooms with salt and pepper and thyme; stir, add Marsala and let it evaporate. Add porcini mushrooms and most of the stock; reserve the last of it as it may collect grit. Add the juice of a lemon and parsley, then reduce heat under the mushrooms to warm.
• Grab more ingredients: cream, cheese and chives.
• Heat cream and a clove of crushed garlic in small pot over medium to medium-high heat, reduce by a third and add gorgonzola; turn heat to low.
• For the sliced steak with rosemary: Season the steaks with kosher salt and coarse pepper. Strip rosemary leaves and coarsely chop, then rub into meat. Add olive oil to pan, 1 turn of the pan, add steaks and cook meat 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Brown and char a halved lemon with steaks the last minute or two. Reduce heat under pan and remove lemon, then add butter and crushed garlic to pan and spoon over meat. Remove meat and rest a couple of minutes, then slice against grain and top with lemon juice.
• Chop bacon, if using.
• Serve sliced steak with a small pile of greens to one side, mushrooms along the other side and waffle fries topped with gorgonzola sauce, bacon bits and chives at end of plate or platter.