I love a good steak. In fact, I'm pretty sure I could be a vegetarian if it weren't for steak (and bacon omg!) The funny thing is however, whenever Shep and I go out to dinner, we rarely ever order steak out. He swears it's because the steaks I make at home are better (and cheaper) than the ones we get out and I hate to have to say it, but he's 1,000% right.

Until I was in my 20s, I'd only ever had steaks that were grilled or from steakhouses like Ruth's Chris or Maestro's. I was dating a guy in D.C. at the time and he loved making steaks for dinner in a cast iron skillet. They were so good, I ate them as often as he cooked them. Over the years, I've perfected his technique thanks to some time spent working in professional kitchens and tricks I picked up in culinary school.

Now this is my go-to method for making restaurant quality steaks whenever I have a taste for one.

This recipe is truly simple. All you need is good quality meat--I like to use ribeyes or filet mignon--cracked black pepper, kosher salt (I love Jacobsen Salt but this brand works as well), unsalted butter, garlic and fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme. That's it.

The key to making a restaurant quality steak at home is using a hot pan and basting the meat in the herby-garlic butter. Be sure to let the steak rest for at least 10 minutes after cooking before cutting into it. This helps the meat reabsorb all it's juices and guarantees you'll have the tenderest, most flavorful steak of your life.

If you only have thyme or rosemary at home, that's fine. You don't need both to make the steak taste good. Under no circumstances can you substitute in dried herbs, it just won't work here. You'll end up burning them because of the high temperatures needed to cook the steak and end up with bitter tasting meat. No bueno.

A quick note on cook times. This recipe cooks the steaks to medium rare. If you prefer yours medium/medium well, you'll want to leave the meat cooking for an additional 2-3 minute per side. If you're unsure about doneness, a thermometer will be your best friend. A breakdown of temperatures is really helpful for you to achieve the results you want. I like this temperature guide and use it often when I can't remember the numbers off the top of my head.

Lastly, in general I cook with unsalted butter because I want to be able to control the amount of salt in my food but if you only have the pre-salted stuff at home, it's all good. Just be cognisant of how much salt you're using to season your meat so you don't come away with food that's inedible.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and that it becomes a staple at your dinner table for years to come.

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