To say someone is a "meat-and-potatoes kind of guy" (or perhaps "kind of girl") is to imply that that person's taste doesn't really venture into the fussy, innovative, or overly complicated. Give them a hunk of beef and a pile of starchy mash, and they'll be content.But that might not do justice to the glorious pairing that is a tender slab of steak and a fluffy forkful of buttery potato. Pretentious? No way. But delicious? Absolutely.Toronto chef and Keep It Canada host Matty Matheson really knows how to master the classics, from lemon meringue pie to lasagna. He takes the basics, perfects them, and then improves upon them—say, by adding Cheeto dust to the top of a creamy casserole dish of mac and cheese, or a mascarpone cheesecake layer to his luscious, tangy lemon meringue pie. Just call it the Magic Matty Touch.Meat and potatoes get the treatment thusly: the potatoes are twice-baked, stuffed with a filling of bacon fat, pancetta, broccoli, cheese, scallions, and (of course) the requisite salt, pepper, and butter. As for the steak, he cooks boneless rib-eye to a juicy, heavenly state in a garlic-thyme butter.
Sure, it's just meat and potatoes, but it's done so very, very right. Sometimes, being a meat-and-potatoes kind of dude (or dudette) can be the greatest compliment.RECIPE: Rib-Eye Steak and Power Potatoes