Beef sirloin tip steak with garlic butter potatoes is delicious & ready in less than 30 minute. A one pan meal using affordable ingredients, the whole family loves!
This is a fantastic classic meat and potatoes dish that will fill the family up, and save you some money on your grocery bill. Using an affordable cut of beef, sirloin tip steak, it is combined with hearty garlicky butter potatoes.
Stretching a pound of meat with the addition of potatoes is a great way to save money while still serving something special. I love using this trick in recipes like my hamburger potato soup, and beef and potato tacos.
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Why you’ll love this sirloin tip recipe
- Easy, one pan meal that requires minimal prep and clean up, allowing you to get dinner on the table without a fuss.
- Affordable ingredients that produce a fantastic and tasty dish!
- Very family friendly dish kids and grown ups will all love
- Flavorful spice mixture can be used for lots of other dishes!
- Genius way to parcook potatoes so you always get the right texture – soft and tender every time!
Ingredients
- Sirloin tip steak, cut thin and into roughly 1″ cubes. For a family of 4-5, you can get away with 1-1.5 pounds of meat, but if you have grown kids, you may want to double the recipe so you have plenty!
- Potatoes, peeled and also cut into 1″ cubes. Russet or yellow potatoes both work, so use whatever you have on hand or is on sale!
- Herbs and spices: garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, Kosher salt & pepper, and a pinch of cayenne.
- Fresh minced garlic and butter help to finish off the yummiest potatoes. (make sure to check out my favorite garlic peeling tool!)
Important note about salt!
Make sure to use Kosher salt in this recipe, and not table salt. Kosher salt has less salt by volume than table salt, due to the larger crystals. Using table salt over Kosher salt will result in a much saltier dish!
My preferred brand of Kosher salt is Diamond, which is less salty than the more widely available Morton’s brand. A quarter teaspoon of Morton’s kosher salt has 480 milligrams of sodium, while a quarter teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt has 280 milligrams. If using Morton’s, I recommend reducing the amount of salt used in the spice mixture by up to half, then season to taste the finished dish with more salt if needed.
Cooking Sirloin Steak Tips
Sirloin tip steak is not to be confused with top sirloin, as they are from 2 different parts of the cow. Sirloin tip is a leaner, tougher cut of meat than top sirloin. You can use either cut of meat in this dish though.
Tip steak will require some extra tenderizing so the finished product won’t be too tough. Therefore make sure you coat the sirloin tip in the dry marinade and allow it to sit for a bit while you prep the remaining ingredients.
How to make beef sirloin steak tips
Begin by mixing the salt and spice mixture in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, add the beef tips, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and HALF of your measured herbs and spices, and stir till well beef is well coated.
Set aside and leave in the bowl to marinate for at least 15-30 minutes. If you plan ahead, you can also leave them to marinate for several hours.
Genius quick potato cooking hack
I learned this par-cook method years ago from America’s Test Kitchen. While your beef is marinating, peel and cube your potatoes, and set them in a wide shallow bowl.
Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Gently toss the potatoes, and microwave on high for an additional 2-4 minutes, until just fork tender but not cooked all the way through.
Parcooking the potatoes first will allow them to cooker quicker in the pan and achieve a soft and tender texture, without overcooking the outside.
When your marinated sirloin tip steak or top sirloin is ready to cook, heat a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Add just a tiny coating of vegetable oil spray and add your meat in a single layer. Work in batches if need be as to not overcrowd the pan.
Cook your steak tips until seared on one side, about 3-4 minutes, then flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. When nice and browned on each side, remove the steak tips from the pan and set aside.
Now you gently stir in the remaining herbs and spices into the par-cooked potatoes.
Add remaining vegetable oil to your pan, and keep it at medium heat. Add in your potatoes, minced garlic and half the butter, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring gently every couple of minutes with a wooden spoon, scraping up any brown bits.
When your potatoes are cooked and tender, return your top sirloin steak tips to the pan and stir to reheat. Add in the remaining butter and stir till melted and well incorporated. Serve immediately.
Recipe FAQ’s
Top sirloin is the best alternative to beef sirloin tip steak, however it is more expensive. It is also more tender, so it will be a delicious dish, just know you will spend a bit more!
Yes! This spice mix packs a punch! If you are concerned with sodium or don’t like your dishes too salty, cut the Kosher salt used in half. You can also use an Italian or Mexican herb blend.
Why is microwaving the potatoes important?
Achieving the perfectly cooked potato in a sauté pan can often mean long cooking times, or very crispy potatoes on the outside that may not be thoroughly cooked through and fork tender. Doing a pre-cook in the microwave first, primes them for a quick and thorough cooking in the pan.
If you don’t have a microwave, you can also par-boil them, allowing them to dry completely before adding to the sauté pan.
This dish is supposed to be reminiscent of steak frites, where the potatoes are soft and tender without a crispy outer shell. I think it definitely hits the mark and I hope your family loves this dish as much as mine does!
And if you loved this dish, definitely give my Marinated Beef Tips recipe a try. It has potatoes and peppers, and an Asian inspired flavor.
Beef Sirloin Steak Tips with Garlic Butter Potatoes
Beef Sirloin Steak Bites with Garlic Butter Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb Beef sirloin tip steak or top sirloin, cut into 1" cubes
- 1 lb Potatoes peeled and cut into 1" cubes
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 4 tablespoon Neutral oil such as Canola
- 4 tbsp Butter divided
- 4 Garlic cloves minced
Herb and Spice Mix
- 1 tablespoon Garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoon Kosher salt Diamond salt preferred, if using Morton's Kosher salt and want a less salty dish, cut amount in half and then season finished dish with more salt if needed.
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
Make the herb and spice mix
- Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne, black pepper and 2 teaspoons of the Kosher salt into a small bowl and stir to combine.1 tablespoon Garlic powder, 1 tablespoon Onion powder, 1 tablespoon Paprika, 1 teaspoon Cumin, ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon Black pepper
Marinate the beef tips
- In a medium bowl add the steak tips, 2 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, and half of the spice mixture, and stir to combine. Set aside and allow to marinate for a minimum of 15 minutes, up to an hour.1.5 lb Beef sirloin tip steak
Par-cooking the potatoes
- While the beef is marinating, peel and cube the potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and set in a shallow bowl or deep plate like a pie plate, and spread them out a bit.1 lb Potatoes, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Microwave potatoes on high for 4 minutes. Gently stir, and microwave for another 2-4 minutes, until potatoes are just fork tender (known as par-cooked). Set aside.
Make the Steak Tips and Garlic Potatoes
- Heat a deep skillet on medium high heat, and add just a bit of neutral cooking oil. Add steak tips and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, till seared but not cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.4 tablespoon Neutral oil such as Canola
- Stir in the other half of the spice mix to the potatoes and toss to combine and coat. Heat remaining vegetable oil in pan on medium heat. Add potatoes, minced garlic and 2 tablespoon of the butter, and cook for about 10 minutes till easily pierced with a fork, stirring often.4 tablespoon Butter, 4 Garlic cloves
- Add steak to pan with potatoes, and remaining 2 tablespoon of butter, and cook till heated through, about 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Colleen Brake says
Easy to make and delicious.
Cathy says
Just made this, my husband had second and third. Even after he said he could prob not chew the meat. I followed the recipe exactly and the meat wasn’t over done. Loved it, will make again.
Mary Jo C Walsdorf says
Just the right amount of heat and flavor! Did not have kosher salt but used sea salt flakes, In the same proportions.
Karen says
A rare event occurred at my kitchen table! All four kids loved this recipe!
Sylvia A says
I made this for my family last week and everyone loves it! I was out of kosur salt so I used Himalayan Sea Salt and halved it.
Andrea Howe says
Thank you so much for the comment and feedback; glad everyone loved it!
Vicky Knight says
very good but I wouldn’t use as much kosher salt next time a lot of flavor
Andrea Howe says
Hi Mary, did you miss the note about par-cooking them in the microwave? The recipe was to microwave the potatoes, not boil them.
Robert Samuel says
Nice recipe, be careful with the salt first time I made it, it was way to salty.
Andrea Howe says
Hi Robert, did you by chance use table salt? The recipe calls for Kosher salt, and at that amount of beef and potatoes, should be good 🙂
Karen says
Made a vegan version of this and it was delicious!
James D. says
My wife took her first bite and said, you’ve cracked the code to steak tips! DELICIOUS!! Wow, this was a great recipe. The cumin really makes the steak flavor pop!
We have a winner! Thanks for the great recipe. Dinner is over and my house still smells amazing!!
Chloe says
Great flavor but heavy on the salt even after cutting it down by half
Andrea Howe says
Hi Chloe, did you use table salt by chance? the recipe calls for Kosher salt…table salt would have made it too salty though I agree!
Mary C says
Over spiced for my family I’m afraid.
Andrea Howe says
So sorry to hear that, Mary.
Jcamp says
Definitely cut the salt in half — it’s way too salty otherwise. Wish the recipe gave the measurement for the less salty version the author recommends. I don’t quite understand why they warn us and then proceed with the extra salty measurements instead.
Andrea Howe says
H Jcamp, I do give the recommendation and it was to cut the amount by half, which would have been 1 teaspoon. Also, did you by chance use table salt in the recipe, not Kosher salt? Table salt would have made the recipe too salty I agree, but Kosher salt at that amount is fine.
Lola says
Absolutely loved it. My taters did not come out as crispy as I had hoped, but I am thinking maybe I used too much oil in my marinade perhaps? Either way, it was FANTABULOUS! Had to sub out the cayenne for chili powder and cut back on the salt as others have suggested, but overall; Hubby gave this a 9 out of 10 Stars. THANK YOU for sharing.
Donna says
if you read the recipe, she specifically talks about reducing the salt. I used half, and the meal was a perfect gem! .
Teresa Dames says
This was excellent!! I cook for one and it can be challenging to reduce recipes to make one or two servings. This was perfect and delicious! The only thing I did differently was to use baby potatoes and l left the skin on. Love, love, love the microwave ‘parboil’!!