Mean Chef's Steak Au Poivre

I adopted this recipe after its original poster, Mean Chef, departed the site. I have made this recipe a few times, without the sauce to cut calories, and I never would've thought steak made in the oven would be so delicious!!! Mean posted the recipe on Apr 3, 2003. (IHHDRO)

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 (6 -8 ounce)  New York strip steaks or 4  sirloin steaks, 3/4 inch thick, patted dry
•  salt
• 3  tablespoons  coarsely ground black peppercorns or 1  mixture of various peppercorn
•  olive oil, for the pan
• 1  cup red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir)
• 4 -6  tablespoons butter, sliced

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 500°F.
2. Sprinkle the steaks with salt on both sides, and then press the ground peppercorns into the steaks on both sides.
3. Set a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add just enough olive oil to make a light film.
4. When the oil is very hot, add the steaks, cooking until nicely browned on one side, about 3 minute.
5. (If the pan is small, work in batches.) Flip the meat over and put the skillet in the oven.
6. For medium-rare steaks, roast for 3 minutes for 6-ounce steaks; 4 minutes for 8-ounce steaks.
7. Check for doneness with the tip of a knife or by pressing with your fingertips, keeping in mind that the steaks will cook a bit more as they sit.
8. Transfer the steaks to a warm plate and tent with foil.
9. With a spoon, remove any fat from the skillet.
10. Put the skillet back on the burner and heat to medium high.
11. Add the wine and cook until it's reduced to 1/4 cup, about 7 minutes, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. REMOVE PAN FROM THE HEAT.
12. Whisk in the butter a slice at a time, whisking until completely melted.
13. Taste and adjust the seasonings, drizzle the sauce over the steaks, and serve immediately with more sauce on the side.
14. Variations: add shallots to the pan sauce, finish with chopped parsley.
15. substitute 4 tbl cognac and 1/2 cup dark stock in place of the wine.
16. substitute 1/4 cup cream and 1/4 cup cognac for the wine- reduce slightly to thicken.