Restaurant copycats get me the dishes I order anyway, cooked at home with more protein on the plate and less on the bill. A chain steakhouse dinner is mostly bread and butter until the steak shows up, so my versions put the meat first. These run from the steakhouse to Italian and Asian chains, Tex-Mex, fast food and the dessert case. Most take under 45 minutes.
Steakhouse and seafood chain
Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Soft yeast rolls brushed with honey cinnamon butter, the ones that show up before you order. The dough is enriched with milk and an egg and gets 2 rises. I make a half batch of 12 and serve them next to a steak, since the rolls on their own are the reason nobody finishes dinner out. They freeze well after baking.
Steakhouse Ribeye
A thick ribeye seared in a cast iron skillet with butter, garlic and thyme, basted for the last minute. Ribeye has more fat than a sirloin, and that fat is what makes the steakhouse version taste the way it does. FSIS puts the safe minimum for beef steaks at 145°F with a 3 minute rest, and I pull mine at 130°F for medium rare and let it climb. Salt it 1 hour ahead.
Steak Frites
A seared strip steak sliced over a pile of thin fries, bistro style. The fries get a double fry, once at 325°F to cook through and again at 375°F to crisp. For me the steak is the meal and the fries are the garnish, so I size it at 8 ounces of beef per plate. A spoon of garlic butter melts over the top.
Loaded Baked Potato
The steakhouse side: a big russet baked at 425°F for 1 hour, split, and loaded with butter, cheddar, bacon, sour cream and chives. Done right it is a meal. I treat it as the plate for leftover steak or shredded chicken, which is where the protein comes from. Rub the skin with oil and salt before baking so it crisps.
Baby Back Ribs
Ribs rubbed with brown sugar and paprika, wrapped in foil and baked low at 275°F for 2.5 hours, then sauced and finished under the broiler. Pulling the membrane off the back makes them tender. Half a rack per person is my serving and it carries plenty of protein. Finish them on the grill if the weather allows.
Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Drop biscuits with sharp cheddar in the dough and garlic butter brushed on after baking. They take 15 minutes in a 450°F oven. The cheddar is the only protein in them, so I serve them alongside shrimp or a piece of baked fish, which is how the restaurant does it anyway. Two per person, and they are gone.
Country kitchen and Italian chains
Cracker Barrel Style Meatloaf
A 2 pound meatloaf with crushed crackers, onion, green pepper and a ketchup glaze, baked for 1 hour. Ground beef is the whole dish, so I use 85 percent lean and skip the extra fat the crackers would otherwise soak up. Reheat leftover slices to 165°F, which is the FSIS number for leftovers. A slice on toast the next day is better than the first night.
Olive Garden Salad
Iceberg and romaine, tomatoes, red onion, olives, pepperoncini and croutons with the creamy Italian dressing that makes the chain version what it is. The dressing is mayo, Italian seasoning, parmesan and a little sugar. Salad alone is not a meal in my book, so grilled chicken goes on top at home. Chill the bowl first.
Veal Parmesan
Thin veal cutlets breaded, pan fried in olive oil, topped with marinara and mozzarella and run under the broiler. Chicken cutlets do the same job for less money, and that swap is what I make most weeks. Keep the cutlets a quarter inch thick so they cook in 3 minutes a side. Spaghetti on the side, not under it.
Fettuccine Carbonara
Fettuccine tossed with crisp pancetta, eggs, parmesan and black pepper, with no cream. The eggs and pancetta carry the protein, and I use 4 yolks plus 1 whole egg for a pound of pasta. The heat of the pasta cooks the eggs, so work fast off the burner. Pepper until it looks like too much.
Asian chains
Mongolian Beef
Flank steak sliced thin, dusted with cornstarch, flash fried and tossed in a soy, brown sugar and ginger sauce with scallions. It takes 20 minutes and beats the delivery version. I slice the flank against the grain and freeze it for 20 minutes first so the slices come out thin. Serve over rice with steamed broccoli.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ground chicken cooked with water chestnuts, mushrooms, hoisin and soy, spooned into butter lettuce cups. A pound of chicken makes 8 wraps. Harvard suggests choosing poultry, fish and beans over red and processed meat, and this is one of the places where the swap is painless. I eat 4 as a dinner.
Teriyaki Chicken
Chicken thighs cooked in a sauce of soy, mirin, sugar and ginger until the sauce reduces to a glaze. Thighs stay juicy under the sugar where breasts dry out. My plate is 2 thighs over rice with a pile of steamed vegetables. Sesame seeds and scallions on top.
Hibachi Chicken Fried Rice
Day old rice fried on a hot griddle with butter, soy sauce, egg and diced chicken, the way it comes off the hibachi table. The white sauce on the side is mayo, ketchup, garlic and a little sugar. I use a full pound of chicken for 4 cups of rice so the rice is not the main event. Two eggs scrambled in at the end.
Tex-Mex and Mexican
Burrito Bowls
Cilantro lime rice, black beans, grilled chicken, salsa, cheese and guacamole, built in a bowl like the chain does it. At home the chicken portion is whatever you want it to be, and mine is 6 ounces. Marinate chicken thighs in adobo and lime for 1 hour before grilling. The beans add protein on top of the chicken.
Carnitas Street Tacos
Pork shoulder braised with orange, cumin and oregano for 3 hours, shredded, then crisped under the broiler and piled into small corn tortillas with onion and cilantro. A 4 pound shoulder feeds 8 with leftovers. I crisp only what gets eaten that night and keep the rest in the braising liquid. Three tacos is a plate.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
A tomato and chicken broth with shredded chicken, black beans, corn and chiles, topped with crispy tortilla strips, avocado and cheese. Rotisserie chicken gets it done in 30 minutes. For protein, I put 3 cups of chicken in a pot that serves 6 and go light on the tortilla strips. Lime at the end.
Fast food and the dessert case
Smash Burger Sliders
Ground beef smashed thin on a hot griddle, cooked 2 minutes a side, with American cheese, pickles and sauce on a soft bun. The thin patty and crusty edge is what the burger chains built their name on. I make the sauce from mayo, ketchup and relish. Three sliders is about 6 ounces of beef.
Chicken Nuggets
Chicken breast chunks brined in pickle juice for 1 hour, breaded in flour and powdered sugar, and fried or air fried. The pickle brine is the part people recognize. Breast meat means these are mostly protein, and I make 2 pounds at a time. Serve with pickles and honey mustard.
Copycat Eggslut Coddled Egg
The jar from the Los Angeles egg shop: a coddled egg set over smooth potato puree, cooked in a water bath or an Instant Pot, with toast for dipping. Two jars per person is my dinner portion, since 1 egg in a jar is a starter. Season the puree hard with salt and chives. The toast gets rubbed with garlic.
Cheesecake
A tall New York cheesecake on a graham crust, baked in a water bath at 325°F for about 90 minutes, then chilled overnight. Four packages of cream cheese and 4 eggs make it dense. I eat a thin slice and call it a protein dessert, which is a stretch, but less of one than most desserts. Run a knife around the edge as soon as it comes out so the top does not crack.
