Marinated Tri-tip with Browned Butter Asparagus and Mushrooms

So after a long week, we spent a couple of days house-hunting in Portland for M's mom, and came home very late on Friday. I haven't had much time to post over the last few days, so I thought I would share with you a meal that I made a couple of times this week. I have never really cooked Tri-tip steak except on the grill, but it is wonderful for pan-frying! I marinated a couple of pieces of steak in my default marinade: a drizzle of olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a sprinkle of dried oregano, marjoram, powdered garlic, pepper, and sea salt. After about an hour (I turned the steaks partway through to ensure they were covered in the marinade) I heated up my cast iron skillet, browned the steaks for a couple of minutes on each side, then popped it in the oven for about 10 minutes. They turned out perfectly.

While they were in the oven, I browned some butter in another skillet and tossed in my asparagus. I let this sizzle for a while, then covered the skillet and steamed them a bit. When they were done, I removed them from the pan, and sauteed some mushrooms in the remaining butter (I added a bit more). The result was wonderful, and I had a nice glass of Columbia Crest Merlot-Cabernet blend alongside it.