Steakhouse Mushrooms and Wild Rice

With a little technique, Steakhouse Mushrooms are simple to make at home as a side or for dinner.

Call me weird, but when I go to a steakhouse, I’m all about the sides. Give me creamed spinach, asparagus, cheesy potatoes and a wedge. What steak?

But of all the steakhouse sides, I’m partial to the sautéed or roasted mushrooms. With a little salad, they might make the perfect dinner. Rich, garlicky and meaty, they’re totally satisfying and crave-worthy.

So when I found a recipe several years ago in Bon Appetit for “magic mushrooms,” the kind that get a little bit crispy around the edges without being crunchy, and that keep that mushroomy chewiness that steakhouse mushrooms are famous for, my mushroom cooking method was changed forever. There are a couple of keys to this simple process: 1) you let the mushrooms sit, undisturbed, for a short time so that they get browned instead of just sautéed; 2) the garlic and herbs aren’t minced, they’re just used to infuse flavor; and 3) you’ve got to use butter, not a whole ton, but a little bit at the end as a finish, so that you can actually taste it.

On their own as a side, these Steakhouse Mushrooms are pretty fantastic. But serve them on a base of flavorful wild rice, and you’ve got a dinner that nobody would have expected could be so perfect.

Steakhouse Mushrooms with Wild Rice

Ingredients for the Wild Rice:

¾ cup brown rice
¼ cup wild rice
2 cups chicken broth
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Directions for the Wild Rice: 

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a low simmer, cover the saucepan, and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Fluff with a fork. 

Ingredients for the Steakhouse Mushrooms:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound mixed mushrooms, cut into large pieces
Salt and fresh ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 sprigs fresh thyme, plus extra thyme leaves for garnish
Wild Rice (see recipe above)
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Directions for the Steakhouse Mushrooms:

In a large skillet, preferably iron, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Place half the mushrooms in the skillet in a single layer. Let them sit undisturbed for about 3 minutes, until they begin to brown on the bottom. Sprinkle them generously with salt and pepper, and stir so that the other sides get browned. Lower the heat and keep stirring every couple of minutes until the mushrooms are browned on all sides. Remove the mushrooms to a bowl, and repeat with the remaining mushrooms. 

When the second batch of mushrooms has browned, add back in the first batch, along with the butter, garlic and thyme. Stir until the butter has melted and the garlic and herbs are fragrant. Serve the mushrooms on top of the wild rice, and sprinkle thyme leaves, parsley and dill over the top.