Steak w/ Bearnaise Sauce and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I made this when my sister visited over the weekend, and it was a big hit with her and my roommate!
Menu:
Steak with Bearnaise sauce
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Spinach salad with strawberries

From Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten

Steak with Bearnaise Sauce

Ingredients

For the Sauce:
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/4 cup good white wine
2 tablespoons minced shallots
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 extra large egg yolks
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

6 (1 in thick) rib-eye steaks
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

Directions:
For the sauce, put the champagne vinegar, white wine, shallots, 1 tablespoon of tarragon leaves, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about five minutes, until the mixture is reduced to a few tablespoons. Cool slightly.

Place the cooled mixture with the egg yolks and 1 teaspoon salt in the jar of a blender and blend for 30 seconds. With the blender on, slowly pour the hot butter through the opening in the lid. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of tarragon leaves and blend only for a second. If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of white wine to thin. Keep at room temperature while you cook the steaks.

Season the steaks liberally with salt and coarsely ground black pepper on both sides. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat until it's almost smoking, then sear the steaks on each side for 1 minute. reduce the heat to low and cook the steaks for about 7 to 10 minutes, turning once, until very rare in the middle. Remove to a plate, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Serve with the bearnaise sauce.
(You can make the sauce up to an hour in advance and allow it to sit in the blender. Before serving, add 1 tablespoon of the hottest tap water and blend for a few seconds.)

**Note: I halved this recipe and it still turned out great since there was only 3 of us and it serves 6.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup garlic cloves, peeled (about 1 head)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or creme fraiche

Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring the garlic and oil to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cook uncovered for 5 minutes, or until the garlic is lightly browned. Turn off the heat and set aside. The garlic will continue to cook in the oil.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water, bring to a boil, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender. With a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes from the water, reserving the cooking water, and remove the garlic from the oil, reserving the oil.

Process the potatoes and garlic through a food mill fitted with the medium disc. Add the reserved olive oil, 2 teaspoons of salt, the pepper, cream, and 3/4 cup of the cooking water to the potatoes and mix with a wooden spoon. Add more cooking water, if necessary, until the potatoes are creamy but still firm. Season to taste and serve hot.