Baked Steak

sea salt & black or green peppercorns
1 T-bone or porterhouse steak, about 1" thick
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Crush the salt and pepper together coarsely, and sprinkle it on both sides of the steak. Press them gently into the meat so they stick. Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet (that can go into the oven, because it will) and when it is hot add the steak. Cook it for a minute or two on each side, until browned.

Cover the pan loosely with foil. Place the pan with the steak in the oven, and bake it from 8 to 15 minutes, depending on how you like your steak. Eight minutes will be fairly rare; 10 minutes medium-rare; 12 minutes medium-well; and 15 minutes well-done.

Remove the steak from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving, which allows the juices to redistribute themselves throughout the meat.